Hydro in Greek means water, a word that gave birth to names such as Hydruntum, the ancient name of Otranto, an Apulian town overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Hydra, a new collection by Roberta Risolo, a goldsmith artisan active in the city, is inspired by the original name of Otranto. The collection is also a way to celebrate the ten years of activity of the boutique laboratory where she works with the lost wax casting technique.
The origin of the name Hydra also determines the sinuous shape of the jewels, made of silver, pearls and semi-precious stones. Hydruntum takes on various references: a water snake, that is a small river (the Hydro) that flows into the sea, but also a snake that defends the city with its coils, snakes twisted around a stick of Mercury, the mythological god of trade, which may perhaps be useful for the jewelery business, not to forget Hydra, a monster with many snake heads from Greek mythology. The list of references also includes the Turkish threats to the fortress of Otranto, in 1480, and the legendary figure of Idrusa, a woman who stabbed herself to avoid falling into the hands of Ottoman pirates.
