Italian jewelry has long held a prominent place in the fashion world. While the ancient role of jewelry as a symbol of social status disappeared after Industrial revolution, it has still remained as a way to showcase wealth, personality, and a unique sense of style. With many master craftspeople and jewelers, Italy has crafted remarkable jewelry dating all the way back to the Roman Empire. Here are a few things you should know about Italian jewelry, what it represents, and some of the most important names to know.
Murano Glassworks in Jewelry
Dating all the way back to the 8th century, Murano glassworks is a uniquely Italian style in jewelry that provides something beautiful and unique. The crafting of the glass involves heating it up to thousands of degrees Fahrenheit and then carefully crafting the jewelry in a specific shape and pattern. The resulting Venetian glass jewelry shows off a level of craftsmanship that few in the world can match and which always results in a one-of-a-kind piece. Murano glassworks can be used in ceramics and furniture, but provides something special in jewelry because of the amount of effort that has to go into even the smallest piece.
Most Famous Crafters
Many of the most famous jewelers in the world either began in Italy or provides special customized Italian jewelry. The biggest names in the fashion world are listed below, along with a quick breakdown of what makes them so famous.
Sauro Jewelry
Founded by Ivo Sedazzari in Milan, Sauro Jewelry earned a reputation for quality goldwork almost immediately. Relatively young for such an influential business,
the history of this Italian jewelry manufacturer started in 1978 when Sedazzari decided that excellent craftsmanship and unique designs could cause a new business to flourish. Sauro has since spread throughout the world, with sellers of the jewelry existing on virtually every continent. To highlight its role as a driver not only of Italian jewelry but also an educator on all things gold, Sauro has a museum dedicated to its timeless works of art and the history of the company.
Bruno Martinazzi
An Italian artist that was born in 1923, Bruno Martinazzi designed most unusual and abstract pieces of jewerly. With a sense of vision that remains unmatched to this day, Martinazzi created some of the most unique and interesting displays that the world has ever seen. Martinazzi’s pieces almost always included human body parts of some sort, such as fingertips, facial features, or eyes. Most of the work was designed to be worn in the form of a ring, clasp, or bracelet, and all of it was crafted of gold. Because of the amazing sense of style and careful work that went into each of these pieces, Martinazzi’s artistry quickly became sought after by collectors around the world.
Carolina Bucci
Although she was only two years old by the time Sauro Jewelry was founded in 1978, Carolina Bucci has had goldwork in her blood for more than a century. Born in Florence but now operating in London and New York, Bucci is a fourth-generation craftswoman whose father worked with gold all the way back in 1885. Back then, the Bucci family worked on repairing pocketwatches. Carolina now focuses on fashion and jewelry, but with many nods to the past and her family’s long heritage within the industry. For example, she launched a Heritage collection in 2010 to celebrate 125 years of her family’s work in the field.
Elsa Peretti
One of the most influential women in the field, Elsa Peretti has spent generations showcasing and driving the world of fashion. She became a fashion model in 1964, originally working in Spain before coming to the United States. Eventually, she began designing styles of her own, including gold jewelry in her native Italian style. Elsa transitioned very well from model to designer, and has spent several decades creating new and innovative fashion pieces as a result. She has a long-standing partnership with Tiffany, and her designs will likely continue to influence the fashion world for many years to come.
The primer above showcases some of the unique aspects of Italian jewelry, from special glassworks to the broad and diverse field of gold jewelers who hail from the nation. The future of jewelry can go anywhere, but it almost certainly will include Italian designers and craftspeople at the forefront. The nation has spent centuries redefining jewelry, and that looks like to continue well into the foreseeable future, not matter what new trends emerge.