Coral and more coral, for over 190 years. Yes, it has been almost two centuries (since 1830) that Antonino De Simone has specialized in the processing of red coral from the Mediterranean. The Neapolitan company (from Torre del Greco) has reached its sixth generation, passing on its experience in the processing of material that is the son of the sea. Today it continues to offer jewels that enhance coral in its various shades, from bright red to pink to sophisticated white. All thanks to Antonino De Simone, who in the mid-nineteenth century was able to get the artisan workshop off the ground after learning the coral processing techniques.
From generation to generation, since 2010, after the death of the grandson of the same name, Antonino De Simone, the company is led by Gioia De Simone, together with Michele Palomba. The company combines the traditional production of semi-finished coral products for wholesale customers with a wide range of finished jewels under the Antonino De Simone brand, a brand now of international fame. Alongside coral, however, the Maison also produces jewels with turquoise, pearls, lapis lazuli, chrysoprase, diamonds.
The divine proportions of De Maria
If you add one plus one you get two. If you add two plus one you get to three. And three plus two equals five, and so on. But the beauty is that if you divide the two neighboring numbers in this mathematical sequence (imported into Europe by Leonardo Pisano, named as Fibonacci, in 1300), you will always get a number close to 1.6. And the higher the numbers, the closer the division result will be to 1.618. It looks like a game, but it is not: the number 1.618 is indicated as that of the perfect proportion, what the ancients called the golden ratio or divine proportion. Also because it is a proportion found in many natural manifestations, from the shape of shells to that of flowers. What does all this have to do with jewelry?
Ask about it to Dario De Maria, jeweler passionate about Italian history and goldsmith’s art from the eighteenth century to today. And he himself, with his company born in the Ancient Borgo Orefici of Naples, has adopted the number 1,618 as a brand for a line of jewels, often produced by ancient molds, finished and assembled by hand and made of bronze and silver, in some cases with the addition of synthetic stones. In addition, many jewels are a tribute to ancient forms, a reminder of the Neapolitan goldsmith tradition, or with the processing with an empty barrel, which allows you to use gold in very reduced thicknesses and lower costs.
The new jewels from the Chérie collection signed by the Maison Chantecler in Capri ♦ ︎
Rings and sautoir that use the refined have the classic colours of Capri. The Chérie collection by Chantecler has been enriched with new creations, with micro sautoir in pearls, onyx, red coral, white coral and turquoise. La Maison di Capri, an isle in front of Naples, emphasizes that only perfect, uniformly colored spheres have been used. The rings are in gold, with white, green, pink, black and turquoise sky circles.
The sautoir in white alludes to the lime-colored and white houses and the linen fabric under the sun of the Neapolitan island.
The new sautoir can also be knotted with a scarf. There are also variations of rings: small sculptures with red, white coral in the center, in addition to onyx and turquoise. The stones are spooled, that is, a marquise, and wrapped in a fine pavé of diamonds. The manufacturing process involves the integration of at least seven different skills and 50 days of processing. This is also a luxury too. Margherita Donato
The latest creations by Federica Rettore presented at the Marissa Collection trunk show ♦
Federica Rettore spent three days in November in Naples. It is not, however, the Italian city, but its namesake in the US, Naples, Florida. The visit of the Italian designer based in Milan but spirit around the world, was motivated by a trunk show from Marissa Collections. For those who do not know it, Marissa Collections is a store that has become a point of reference in the United States. He was born in 1975 on the initiative of Marissa and Burt Hartington, partners in life and in business. Marissa is the creative, Burt the commercial side. Now son Jay is responsible for marketing, jewelry and the end of men’s clothing. The store, which now also sells online, has earned a reputation as an excellent stage for jewelry designers. Federica Rettore, therefore, proposed a series of pieces, both new and old, that have had great success: a large part of the production of the designer who likes to present herself in a black leather jacket vaguely post-punk has been sold. Here are some of the novelties presented for the occasion and the relative prices. Alessia Mongrando