By Alice Cicolini a collection dedicated to Italian designer Ettore Sottsass, the Memphis collection, in memory of the design school founded by the architect. The Memphis jewels are made in the UK by Fairtrade metals, and are lacquered with geometric patterns of Memphis.
In spite of the very Italian name, Alice Cicolini (full name: Alice Cicolini Strazzeri) was born in London and is a perfect example of British style, love of tradition and to the exotic appeal of India. What could be more British than afternoon tea and an Indian mezzaro resting on the couch? Or the Alice Cicolini jewelry, made and inspired by the ancient techniques of Jaipur, where she realize his creations. The technique of using enamel on jewelry, called meenakari, is entrusted to one of the last skilled craftsmen of Rajasthan, who worked for the Maharaja. This technique is known in Europe as champleve. Tradition meenakari of enamel also includes metal engraving. In India, artisans prefer to work on a 23.5-carat gold, because it is softer and the use of enamels built traditions are passed down within families as a secret. The enamel is a combination of land, the pigmented glass and metal, then polished with agate stone to create colors extraordinarily vivid and rich. It is most commonly applied to the back of jewelery, where precious stones like diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds are on the line. The meenakari is also known as the Secret, an intimate dialogue with the wearer of the gem.
Interest Alice Cicolini are not focused only on the jewelry: she is in love with the architecture and sacred ancient Silk Road. She is also the author of a book on English dandyism, The New Inglese Dandy, to the publisher Thames & Hudson. And she is also a research associate at the Central St Martins, where she graduated in 2009 with a Masters in Jewellery Design. Finally, she was director of Art & Culture for the British Council in India. Cosimo Muzzano
