Pandolfini also participates in the classic series of end-of-year auctions. Jewelery and watches are in the catalog in the sale on 29 and 30 November in Florence, in the historic headquarters of Palazzo Ramirez Montalvo. The double day of auctions opens with jewels, among which pieces signed by major Maisons stand out, such as the Tulle bracelet by Buccellati in silver and gold, made of woven mesh and embellished with pink and old-cut diamonds. The result of the innovative gold processing created by the founder Mario Buccellati, who was inspired by Gothic architecture and Venetian lace, the bracelet on auction is a piece of high jewellery, which best represents the Italian brand.
The Bulgari Serpenti Viper bracelet in white gold and pavé diamonds also stands out, its shape now a symbol of the Maison in the common imagination. Among the jewels in the catalog there are also a chain necklace with colored stones and diamonds by Mauboussin, and the Twist bracelet by Van Cleef & Arpels, composed of a woven link in yellow gold intertwined with a string of pearls. Among the top lots is a long chain link necklace in white gold with an engraved 45-carat emerald, from which a pendant embellished with brilliant-cut diamonds starts. Alongside it, another necklace in white gold sprinkled with brilliant-cut diamonds and shuttles, with the pendant part embellished with a pear-cut emerald.
Among the lots dedicated to colored stones, then, a perforated band ring in yellow gold and diamonds goes up for auction, in the center of which is positioned an oval-cut Burmese ruby and a ring in platinum gold with a round-cut Burmese sapphire surrounded by round-cut diamonds. brilliant and baguette and a white gold ring with a large octagonal cut minor enhancement Colombian emerald, surrounded by baguette and brilliant cut diamonds.
The watch auction includes timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Cartier. For enthusiasts, a collection of Rolex Daytonas is offered, in steel, in 18kt gold, with mother-of-pearl dials. There is no shortage of classic Datejusts in gold and steel to complete the list of various Rolex models offered, both elegant and sporty. There are also various recent Submariners, from the Hulk, to the green bezel Kermit, to the most precious in 18kt yellow gold. The proposal is also completed by various GMT Masters, from the Pepsi, Coke and Batman rings, finishing with two beautiful Milgauss in the two white glass and green glass variants.
Two Patek Philippe Nautilus in steel, a 3700 and a 5712 complete with kit. As for Patek’s vintage, a rare Patek Philippe Tonneau in yellow gold is offered. Cartier is also present with the Maison’s timeless models, among which emerges, in this selection, a splendid example of the Cartier Tank Cintree in yellow gold from the 1920s.
The precious lots, before going to auction, will be on display from 16 to 19 November in the Milan office in via Manzoni 45, and from 25 to 28 November in Florence, at Palazzo Ramirez Montalvo. The two catalogs dedicated to jewelery and wrist and pocket watches were edited by the department head Cesare Bianchi together with experts in the sector and the Auction House.
Elena Braccini, jewels and so be it
Religious devotion, tradition, a pinch of the Middle Ages: these are the elements of Elena Braccini’s jewelery ♦ ︎
From architecture to jewelry: it seems that this is one of the most popular streets by designers. And there is a link: architecture takes care of volumes and shapes, communicates aesthetics, also loves functionality. All elements that are found in the proposals of Elena Braccini, a Florentine specialist in Interior Design and with a master’s degree in jewelery at the Sacred Art School of Florence. Take note: the course of study is a clue to the creative world of Elena Braccini.
As shown by the The Real Madonnas and Deep Soul collections.
The English name of the collections conceals, in reality, the very Italian passion of jewelry linked to tradition, even the religious one that has its roots in the medieval arts. Sacred art and zoomorphic interpretations, symbols: these are the areas that the designer’s jewelery attends.
The jewels are made entirely by hand by Florentine artisans in the historic shops of Ponte Vecchio (the bridge that crosses the river Arno). Gold and silver are characterized by micro-incisions, with stones that become micro-architectures. In addition to the aforementioned The Real Madonnas and Deep Soul collections, Elena Braccini also offers wedding rings and jewels made to order and customizable.
Gold for Gi by Giselle
Can a transgressive (from a stylistic point of view) jewelry designer transgress against herself? For Giselle Effting, a globetrotting Brazilian with a past as a model and a present as a designer based in Florence, it is possible. The creator founded the Gi by Giselle brand following two principles: the use of titanium as a special material for her jewels and an imaginative, unconventional design, with the idea of surprisingly shaped earrings or rings that can be worn by everyone, regardless of age, gender or physical conformation. In fact, almost all the proposed jewels are true to this description.
But if titanium remains Giselle Effting’s favorite metal, the jewelery offer has also been enriched with gold pieces. The first were those of the Gold Inlay collection, in titanium but with gold veins. Then came rings and earrings entirely made of gold, almost always pink and diamonds. In some cases rose gold jewels have been added with small gems such as Paraiba tourmaline and garnets. In short, a transgression against transgression. The gold included in all Gi by Giselle products is 18-karat, recycled and sustainable.
Creativity is like a plant: when it is born it must be cultivated and it can only grow. A principle that also applies to Annamaria Cammilli, the Florentine brand that has crossed the finish line of 40 years in business. A birthday celebrated with a great event in Florence, with full honours. A special evening that began in Piazza della Signoria, with the guests of the Maison who visited the Cammilli Boutique and stopped at the Loggia dei Lanzi, reserved for those present for the occasion, and an exclusive guided tour of the Uffizi Museum. Then, the anniversary party had its center of gravity in the historic Palazzo Gondi, one of the most illustrious Florentine Renaissance buildings.
Entertainment, music, food. And, of course, jewellery, with the presentation of the Florence celebratory ring, dedicated to the city, the cradle of art and beauty which has always hosted and inspired the creativity of the Cammilli brand. The founder of the Maison, Annamaria Cammilli, dedicated the Florence ring to her city in the hands of the mayor, Dario Nardella. A symbolic moment that represents the synthesis of the long history that has brought the Italian brand to be known all over the world. It is a limited edition ring of only 40 pieces, created to celebrate Annamaria Cammilli’s 40th birthday. It is made with the classic Aetherna satin finish, but in seven different variants, which also include the glossy version, or the presence of various types and designs of diamond and precious stone pavé. Out of the ordinary is also the packaging: a casket totally carved in alabaster stone.
The seven versions of the Firenze ring
• Lux version: gold only
• Icon and Icon Lux versions: in perfect style of the iconic Dune collection, available in a satin version with Aetherna finish and a glossy version
• Galaxy and Glaxy Lux versions: illuminated by a touch of pavé, available in a satin version with Aetherna finish and a glossy version
• Pavé and Pavé Color versions: completely covered with colored stones, diamonds or precious stones such as rubies, sapphires, emeralds, brown and black diamonds
A journey that began in 1983, when Annamaria Cammilli decided to transform her jewelry boutique in the heart of Florence into something bigger. Thanks to this courageous choice, the designer, who is also a painter and sculptor, has succeeded in founding a company on her own artistic talent, giving life to sculptural creations that stand out for the exceptional plasticity of the forms. Today, Annamaria Cammilli’s creativity is accompanied by the management of the CEO Riccardo Renai.
Over the years, his different way of making jewelry has become a real style, an original and very recognizable creative message. The talent of Cammilli’s master goldsmiths then allowed them to develop a high level of specialization on various technical aspects, such as the 8 original shades of 18-karat gold and the exclusive velvety finish of the Aetherna surfaces, which unequivocally distinguish the brand’s jewels. with a secret process specially developed to enhance the three-dimensionality of the jewel. Rigorously 100% Made in Italy production and an exclusive design: these are the values that have allowed the company to constantly renew itself over time.
The numbers confirm that the market appreciates: Cammilli in fact closed 2022 with a 38% increase in turnover compared to the previous year, and the increase compared to the reference year before covid (2019) is as much as 97%. A growth also due to an investment policy aimed at increasing the brand’s distribution, notoriety and knowledge of the added value of its products. Like the investment dedicated to training witnessed by the inauguration of the Cammilli Academy in June 2022, a very modern structure dedicated to training the sales personnel of the dealers who present the brand all over the world. A path that gives participants not only the opportunity to learn how to effectively convey the special characteristics of Cammilli jewels, but also to live an immersive experience in the heart of Florence, to discover the origins and true essence of the brand. An initiative that speaks of the desire to continue to fuel growth, bringing the pervasive beauty of Florence and the savoir-faire of its master craftsmen to the world, enclosed in a jewel.
Precious auction for Pandolfini
Auction of jewels and watches with good results for Pandolfini, a Florentine auction house. The selection of jewels, selected by the head of the Cesare Bianchi department, were hammered out in the historic headquarters of Palazzo Ramirez Montalvo. As regards the Jewelery department auction, 92% of the lots were sold for a total of 2.8 million euros and a 185% increase on the starting estimates. The 18-karat white gold ring with a fancy blue diamond stands out above all, sold for 376,000 euros.
An 18-karat white gold ring with a 7.03-carat brilliant-cut solitaire fetched €163,800 and a pair of platinum earrings with Burmese rubies and diamonds found a buyer for €138,600. At the watch auction, 111 out of 124 pieces were awarded, 90% of the lots, for a total of 1.2 million and a 125% increase on the starting estimates.
Best performance for the 1971 Rolex Daytona Paul Newman Panda, the watch with a steel case and panda dial sold for 163,800. Among the many lots proposed, we also note the awarding of the 1979 Rolex Daytona Big Red, sold for 85,680 and the 1979 steel and gold Patek Philippe Nautilus Jumbo, with monobloc steel case, smooth yellow gold bezel and steel and gold bracelet. 18-karat yellow gold sold for 78,120 euros.
Annamaria Cammilli space with Moon Drops
Raindrops, dewdrops, sea drops. There are many possible drops, but among these there are the jewels of the historic Goccia line by Annamaria Cammilli. But, for 2023, the idea of the Tuscan Maison, which is celebrating its first 40 years, is more surprising, because the drops are no longer liquid, but a direct representation of the Earth’s satellite, i.e. the moon. Riccardo Renai, CEO of Cammilli and creative director, has introduced the Moon Drops line.
This is the most important innovation among those presented at the start of the new year. Moon Drops is also the result, they explain to the Tuscan company, of a long study. The jewels develop with a succession of drops, which with elaborate joints make a moon-shaped reflection designed with diamonds shine. The collection brings with it all the stylistic and chromatic innovations, starting from the refined colors of gold, of the Maison. However, the more traditional Goccia collection remains present in Annamaria Cammilli’s catalogue.
The Renaissance of Temple St. Clair
The jewels of Temple St. Clair, from Virginia to Florence, passing through the Renaissance and the nature ♦ ︎
From Florence she started over 30 years ago. And in Florence she has just returned, right on the Ponte Vecchio, with her first Italian store. The Temple St. Clair fine jewelery brand, founded in the Tuscan capital in 1986, has arrived in the historic center of the city thanks to a partnership with the Florentine jewelers family Vettori. Born in Virginia (USA), after studying in Switzerland, Temple St. Clair has discovered in the Florentine artisans the ability that is the result of a centuries-old tradition. Thanks to their teaching, the designer founded her company in 1986 in Florence.
She loves the Tuscan city: she has a degree in Italian studies at Smith College and a master’s degree in Italian Renaissance literature at Middlebury College. But she also loves nature: for November she decided to donate 20% of revenues of e-commerce sales to the Big Life Foundation in Africa: it’s a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting a vast territory of nature wilderness in East Africa employing hundreds of local Maasai rangers in its anti-poaching programs, among other conservation initiatives.
But besides the ability to work with gold, Temple St. Clair has a particular sensitivity in the use of stones.
She loves the translucent, elusive colors, like those of the moonstone used in the Silk Road collection. But it also seeks rare gems, such as the Australian black opal Lightening Ridge, Paraiba tourmaline, tsavorite. In 2017, Temple St. Clair was chosen, along with myths such as Louis Comfort Tiffany and Alexander Calder, as the third American designer of jewelry represented in the permanent collection of the Museum of Decorative Arts at the Louvre in Paris. Need to add more?
Space to Novecentonovantanove
It’s name is Novecentonovantanove: the number is the brand of a Florence company specialized in tubogas bracelets and necklaces (but not only).
In 1999, in fact, a new jewelery brand was born in Florence: after long and heated debate the agreement was found on a name that recalls the year of birth, Novecentonovantanove (999). A number that is easy to remember, just as it is simple remember the style chosen for the products of the company that now belongs to Enzo Lazzerini: the classic tubogas. That is, those gold jewels made up of pairs of interlocking strips, with a shape reminiscent of gas hoses.
The peculiarity of this process consists in the fact that necklaces or bracelets do not require welding. It was a popular type of jewel during the late 1930s and 1940s. The idea also reflects the need to make up for the scarcity of gold during the Second World War. The 999 tubogas bracelets or necklaces do not differ from the classic model: made of gold, often combined on the same piece in the different shades of yellow, white and pink. In some cases the jewels are embellished with diamonds, as in the collections with the greatest impact. Monica Battistoni
Among those who appreciated the jewels of the Fratelli Peruzzi jewelery and silverware in Florence, there were also Prince Ranieri of Monaco and his wife, Grace Kelly. Witness a black and white image with the couple in front of the company’s Florentine workshop, surrounded by the usual onlookers and fans, who today would probably be followers. The work of this historic Florentine establishment is now collected in a book, Jewels in Florence, Archivio Fratelli Peruzzi (1880-1970), published by the Sillabe publishing house of Livorno and written by the jewelery historian Bianca Cappello. Objective: to make a piece of the history of Italian artisan jewelery better known to the general public.
Inside is described in 297 pages and with the help of 300 images, almost a century of goldsmith production, with drawings and photographs of the Fratelli Peruzzi jewelery and silverware. Founded in Florence in 1880, the Maison has worked between Italy and America, with a shop in Boston and a workshop and sales on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.
There are stories that cannot be kept in the attic, which is why I wanted all the documentary material of Fratelli Peruzzi’s activity to be studied and valued. Thus, coming out of its casket, it can be kept forever in everyone’s memory.
Laura Giannoni Peruzzi, managing director of Fratelli Peruzzi
It was an honor to be able to study this remarkable archive of drawings, photos and models of Florentine jewelery and silverware. Valuing it did not mean only bringing to light the history of the Peruzzi family through careful documentary research, but also being able to tell something more about the history of Italian-style jewelery (as it was called in the 19th century), characterized by original and autonomous distinctive elements compared to the so-called fashionable jewelery of Paris or London.
Bianca Cappello
Jewels in Florence, Jewels in Florence, Fratelli Peruzzi Archive 1880 – 1970, Edited by Sillabe 2022 Preface Luigi Salvadori Introduction Dora Liscia Bemporad With a text by Samuele Magri Italian and English text 237 pages with over 300 color images Paperback binding (28 euro ) and hardcover (32 euros).
The colors of Dune Solar by Annamaria Cammilli
Annamaria Cammilli’s Dunes are the trademark that made the Florentine Maison famous. Logical, therefore, that the designer reserves particular attention for the line of jewels which presents sinuous curves dotted with diamonds or colored stones. Over time the Dune collection has branched out into different lines, each with its own characteristic. In the autumn, for example, Dune Color was presented, to which new jewels are now being added. The novelty is Dune Solar Color, which combines the wave design of the main line with the colors of various semi-precious stones.
The jewels feature different shades and shades of tourmalines, the deep blue of the tanzanites, the bright green of the peridot to which are added the pink of the rhodolite and the light blue of the aquamarine. Colors that match the variety of gold colors, which is another feature of Annamaria Cammilli: the Maison, in the various collections, offers the most precious metal declined in eight different shades.
Gold and titanium for Gi by Giselle
Gold and titanium: 2023 marks an innovation for the young Florentine brand Gi by Giselle. The designer and founder, Giselle Effting, points out that it is an artisan technique and is developed exclusively by Gi by Giselle. In fact, working with titanium is difficult: it is a light, flexible metal, but also incredibly tough. To achieve the result, Gi di Giselle fuses gold and titanium through an inlay method. The veins are 3D etched into the titanium print, the gold is then applied in a chase technique and the veins are hand hammered to secure the gold in place.
Titanium was already used by the brand in the past, but combined with small diamonds or sapphires. In addition to the manufacturing technique, Gi by Giselle’s jewels are also original in terms of design, which favors asymmetry and a flavor of artisanal production.
Born in southern Brazil, Giselle Effting discovered her passion by collecting shells with her mother and her sister on the beaches of Santa Catarina to make necklaces and bracelets. Since the age of 15, however, she has had a parenthesis as a model in 9 different countries. The approach to the fashion world has allowed her to get to know the works of creative directors, fashion designers and high jewelery brands. After settling in Hong Kong she discovered her passion for jewelry and she graduated from the Gemological Institute of America, before moving to Florence, where she attended courses at the Alchimia Contemporary Jewelry School.
Andrea Fohrman, the first designer on the moon
Andrea Fohrman: the moon is a precious satellite in Los Angeles designer collections ♦︎
She is one of the few women who do not are offend if someone tells her that she is lunatic. For a simple reason: she adores the moon and the Earth’s pale satellite is a source of inspiration for her jewels. The story of Andrea Fohrman as designer is started with admiration of the grandmother’s cocktail ring, the passion for the weather, seasons, and stages of the year. Which are marked, in fact, by the alternation of moons. Andrea Fohrman is so fascinated by Earth’s twin, that on her website you are able to calculate the lunar phase that corresponds to an important date in her life.
ted the work using mostly opals, perhaps the stone that reminds more of the Selena of the ancients, with obviously the moonstone. The art of jewelery was also improved in Italy, in Florence, where she also studied design and sculpture. She started her activity collecting ancient objects and turned them into pendants. Then, in 2004, she pulled the shot up to the high-end jewelery, that she designs in her Los Angeles home.
Meini in the sign of Florence
Meini Gioielli, the Florentine goldsmith’s tradition always has its charm ♦ ︎
The story is that of many other artisan realities of jewelery: the young apprentice who learns the secrets of craftsmanship, get to own business, opens his shop and also finds his stylistic way. So is born Meini Gioielli, a Florentine artisan shop. The story begins in 1963, when at the age of 14, Cesare Meini “entered as an apprentice in the artisan workshop Ricci, one of the most famous masters in Florence in the 1960s.”
The shop is located right in the heart of Florence, near the Ponte Vecchio. Here, Cesare Meini learns the ornamental design, shaping, the art of the drilling and, above all, the engraving. In the sign of the Florentine goldsmith tradition, it accumulates experience until 1971, when he get to be on ufficial register of craftsman and opens a goldsmith workshop in the historic center of Florence. In 1977 the activity was transferred to Rignano sull’Arno, a village near Florence, where the Tuscan goldsmith he still realize their creations, together with their children Leonardo and Lorenzo. Meini’s jewelry remains anchored in Tuscan style and tradition: white and yellow gold, worked, perforated, with floral forms and sometimes precious stones of a certain volume.
An Academy for Annamaria Cammilli
Good craftsmen, jewelry processing specialists, gem experts, but also commercial professionals: for a great Maison it is essential to involve good collaborators. And this is the goal of the Cammilli Academy, a new facility dedicated to training the sales staff of Annamaria Cammilli‘s jewelry dealers who present the Florence brand all over the world. The Academy is an investment that the brand has dedicated to training consists of a structure built in the premises adjacent to the company headquarters.
Florence is an open-air museum, at every corner it amazes with small and large masterpieces of art and culture, letting our guests breathe all this means allowing them to fully understand the origins, the creative force that animates and inspires our work. The most coveted result of the project is the strengthening of communication with all dealer sellers around the world, who will be able to transmit the special characteristics of our jewels much more effectively. Here they will have the opportunity to touch the creative world of Cammilli and fully understand the reality of a company that has chosen to make jewelry in a different way, in a special city like Florence.
Riccardo Renai, CEO of Annamaria Cammilli
The Academy includes spaces dedicated to sales techniques, conference rooms, areas with special screens, exhibition spaces and even a small restaurant and wine tasting space. The space is equipped with the latest technology tools for sharing videos, environments dedicated to teaching and, of course, jewels to be known in detail. The experience also includes an afternoon dedicated to discovering the city with a visit to the flagship store near the famous Piazza della Signoria, the cradle of the Renaissance. A path, in short, different from a simple specialization course for sales agents. The idea of the Academy, in fact, stems from the public’s interest in jewels that have a story to tell, their exclusivity and their added value.
In Florence the embroidery by Massai Orafi
The ancient tradition of the chisel in the laboratory of Massai Orafi in Florence ♦
The art in Florence is not only one found in the halls of the Uffizi, under the arches of Santa Maria Novella, or of many masterpieces that constitute a unique heritage in the world. There is also the art passed down for generations and applied to objects such as jewelry. The goldsmith’s art of Florentine artisans, in fact, is one of the most famous and appreciated.
If you want to have a testimony, look Massai Orafi in Firenze. The company was opened in 1950 by master goldsmith Franco Massai, and now managed by his sons Gianni, Andrea and Enrico, using traditional processing methods (you can see them in the movie) and, above all, it preserves the style that characterizes the city of jewelery lily, with fretwork and engraving, typical Florentine goldsmith’s art, together with the use of precious stones and pearls. And more, the company has kept the laboratory in the historic center of Florence, on the top floor of a tower house of the 16th century that you can visit. There are no ghosts, be calm, but experts craftsmen which are alive and well.
World history with Ellius
Ellius and Sara Jewelry, companies founded by Fadi Raslan. The first focuses on design. The second specializes in semi-finished products for jewelery, the specialty of the Arezzo district, where it is based. But six years ago Fadi Raslan decided to take the big leap into the ready-to-wear jewelery market with Ellius. Raslan’s story is also the testimony of the entrepreneur’s passion. Born in Jordan, at 16 he discovered the charm of goldsmithing and, somehow, after an interlude of medical studies at the University of Kiev, he arrived in Italy to attend the Margaritone, the goldsmith’s school in Arezzo and as a cashier. of stones in Florence.
In 1999 he started his own company that produces on behalf of third parties, until the launch of Ellius, which in 2022 decided to participate in the collective exhibition Artistar Jewels, held during the Milan Jewelry Week. The brand’s goal, according to what it communicates, is quite vast: to tell the story of humanity, between past and future, considering the jewel as a link between cultures that enhances the universal value of understanding and equality. Not easy to summarize in a jewel. The best known collection of the brand is Cupole. One ring, for example, has the shape of Brunelleschi’s dome in Florence in 925 silver, another that of St. Peter’s in Rome, but there is also the mosque of the Rock of Jerusalem. There are also jewels inspired by the classical, Greek and Roman world as, after all, the name of the brand indicates.
Point, line and circle by Hadar Nornberg
Hadar Nornberg’s jewels, designer that loves a rigorous geometry ♦
An international artist lent to jewelry: she could be defined as the Israeli-Swiss Hadar Nornberg, who with her brand expressed her creativity between Tokyo, New York and Paris, while she learned the art of jewelry in Florence, at Alchimia contemporary jewelery school. Although she designs jewelry, the designer has architects, show business personalities and painters such as Lucio Fontana, Donald Judd, Le Corbusier, Carlo Scarpa, Beethoven and Pina Bausch as reference figures. But more generally, contemporary art, architecture, classical music and dance are the designer’s muses.
Line, point and thought: through these three elements the collections of rings and bracelets are created with an ultra simple design, but with an elaborate conception. The three artistic lines to which Hadar refers are Bauhaus, art deco and minimalism. And the materials he uses are interpreted in an original way: gold, but defined by elementary geometric shapes, such as the square, the round, where diamonds seem like challenges to the metal surface.
Alcozer, Florentine style bijoux
The unmistakable style of luxury bijoux signed by Alcozer, a Florentine Maison ♦ ︎
In Florence, brass is like gold: it becomes a luxury material thanks to the precise and craftsmanship, as well as unlimited use of imagination. But to be successful you must also have a style. This is what Alcozer & J, an artisan company, has been able to do, specializing in the creation and production of luxury jewelery. Its jewels, in fact, can start from just over 100 euros to get to almost 1000 of a semi-rigid necklace in gilded brass with branch and leaves of ivy in emerald, embellished with garnet berries, pearls and Swarovski crystals. Brass is gold or rose gold or silver with a galvanic process.
Engine of this machine is the founder and designer Giampiero Alcozer. that since 1994 loves to create jewels as if they were for artists acting on a stage. They are generally large jewels, with a consistent volume, elaborate forms, allusions to fables and myths, between dark and surrealist style. Most of the jewels in the catalog are made to order, within a few days, while if you buy online it takes 15 days for shipping.
The triangle by Maria Gaia Piccini
The Florentine designer Maria Gaia Piccini dedicates her jewelery production almost exclusively to the shape of the triangle. And one reason is… ♦ ︎
The triangle is a geometric figure with a mystical aura. Furthermore, it is a small and simple musical instrument. Finally, it is also an unconventional space, because it is far from the concept of symmetry. But these are not the considerations that inspired Maria Gaia Piccini to conceive a series of jewels based almost exclusively on the figure of the triangle, a form not widely used in jewelery.
And to say that the designer has a history of pure tradition behind her, as she herself explains. Maria Gaia Piccini is a authentic Florentine. Descends from a family with a long tradition in the field of jewelry in Florence, with several shops on the Ponte Vecchio. History that we summarize as follows (on the website of Maria Gaia Piccini is described in greater detail): Alberta Risaliti, mother of the designer’s father, Carlo Piccini, was the daughter of the silversmith Aristodemo Risaliti, owner of a company producing enamel objects, gold and silver located in Via De ‘Bardi, near Ponte Vecchio. Tebaldo Piccini, paternal grandfather, was the son of Pirro Piccini, a famous collector who had worked for the Settepassi family, and was a trusted jeweler of some noble families. Brother Armando was the creator of jewels and some of his works are kept at the Museo degli Argenti at Palazzo Pitti, in Florence. Together with his father Pirro, the two brothers founded the Fratelli Piccini store on the Ponte Vecchio, where it still stands today.
When Maria Gaia was 19 she met in the shop of her father Madame Mahin Fallah, a Persian noblewoman, a collector of jewels. A friendship was born that, in London, allowed she to know Marina Bulgari, already famous in the world of jewelry. In short, grandmother, Persian noblewoman and designer of the Bulgari family were the tutelary gods of Maria Gaia. They are three and therefore have a link with the concept of a triangle. According to the designer, in fact, the triangle represents the link between past, present and future and also the link with the three “extraordinary women” who encouraged her to found her Maison.
Scholarships to learn the art of jewelry in Florence
Scholarships to learn the magic of jewelry and goldsmithing in Florence. Lao, Le Arti Orafe, is one of the most popular goldsmith schools in Italy and a point of reference for research jewelery also abroad. Now the school, together with the luxury hotel The Place Firenze, announce the birth of the first project supported by The Place of Wonders, corporate social responsibility (i.e. a company that also deals with social impact) created by the Babini family, historical owner of the hotel structure, to promote the growth of the culture of the manufacturing arts and invest in the training of new generation professionals in the sector.
The project includes a three-year program for the training of three young local talents, supporting them in order not to lose the artisan culture and the unique character that have made Florence famous in the world also for its artisan creativity. Applications must be received by 15 July and the assignment will be based on merit and residence, with the commitment of a professional continuity located in Tuscany. In October, three scholarships will be funded in the courses of Goldsmithing, Jewelery Design and Setting, covered 50% by The Place of Wonders and 50% by Lao Le Arti Orafe. Scholarships that will be subsequently confirmed for the second and possibly the third year of the course of study, obviously if the recipients achieve the expected results. The courses will be held at the Lao headquarters in via dei Serragli in Florence. Info at this link.