The nature-friendly jewels of Maddalena Bearzi

Jewels dedicated to the sea and nature: they are by Maddalena Bearzi, an Italian designer who lives in California.

An Italian woman who lives and works in Los Angeles, Maddalena Bearzi. She is passionate about jewels, but also about oceanic fauna, she thought of combining the two and created jewels that are a manifestation of solidarity towards the nature of the sea. In short, they are eco friendly jewels. It is no coincidence that the designer began her jewelry production by combining sustainable fabrics with solid distinctive elements such as recycled metals and natural stones, to create unique pieces. Each piece is handcrafted individually, mostly with silver and finished with gold, with precious and semiprecious stones. But she also uses bronze, brass and copper to create original shapes.

Born in Verona into a family of artists, Maddalena Bearzi traveled extensively and studied the life of animals. She started transforming her passion for handcrafted jewelry into a profession on her own, but then she decided to study metalworking at the University of California, Los Angeles. Plus, she gained experience from master silversmith and jeweler Gordon Wainwright and designer Harold O’Connor. But we must not forget her scientific work: she holds a PhD in Biology and works as president of the research and non-profit environmental Ocean Conservation Society. You have been studying whales, dolphins and other marine mammals for over 25 years. He has also published two books: Beautiful Minds: The Parallel Lives of Great Apes and Dolphins (Harvard University Press, 2008, co-authored with C. Stanford), and Dolphin Confidential: Confessions of a Biologist (Chicago University Press, 2012; with sketches by of the author). Finally, she also collaborates with National Geographic.