People are products of their environment. Everyone has their own country, city, and hometown in their hearts; these geographical locations shape who we are and what we need to present to the world. Therefore, it’s not surprising that in some cases, geography and time also influence jewelry design. Jewelry is one of the most personal expressions, and the best jewelry designers incorporate their personal experiences into their creations.
“My father was born in a house below the Acropolis in Athens, where he grew up and later established his own studio and museum. His family came from the Delphi region, another area rich in history and art. The whole of Greece, Athens, and the Delphi region played a very important role when he developed his own brand and created his own collections,” explains Demetra Lalaounis, International Operations Director of the family-owned and operated fine jewelry brand Lalaounis.
“Before him, his family was making ordinary jewelry without any special identification. However, he decided to take a completely different path. He was inspired by the history and rich cultural heritage of our country. As he used to say, his work is ‘jewelry with a soul, each piece telling a story’.”
Louis Vuitton’s Artistic Director of Watches and Jewelry, Francesca Amfitheatrof, delved even deeper in her 2023 Deep Time high jewelry collection, which draws inspiration from Earth’s history, tectonic changes, evolution, and even life itself.
To truly embrace these themes, Amfitheatrof took her team to the small island of Ventotene, near the Gaeta coast in the Tyrrhenian Sea, where she has a cave chamber on the cliff edge, redesigned for 21st-century living. There, to guide the team’s research more deeply, a botanist joined to discuss early plants, a historian for an introductory course on ancient Rome, and a geologist.
Amfitheatrof even encouraged the team to create jewelry from things found on the path from the port to the cave, some of which were collected.
The Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds collection centers on different locations and times, with Amfitheatrof taking you back to 19th-century Paris this year, where 16-year-old Louis Vuitton found himself. “Incredible changes were happening in 19th-century France, and Paris truly became the center of the world at that time,” Amfitheatrof says.
“The design language of Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds reflects this – all the intricacies, complexities, and innovations – transformed into incredible jewelry.” It’s an extensive collection, featuring 220 unique masterpieces across 13 themes, embodying everything about Paris, from rope-like tassel designs reminiscent of the ropes used to hang the brand’s luggage, to the instantly recognizable shape of the Eiffel Tower, inverted into a breathtaking necklace.
Meanwhile, Milan’s dual soul inspired Pomellato’s recent collection, The Dualism of Milan. “First, I wanted to convey the spirit of the city, mixing rationalist architecture, the winding lines of skyscrapers, the nocturnal atmosphere of the Galleria,” explains Vincenzo Castaldo, Pomellato’s Creative Director. “Then I wanted to illustrate Milan’s ability to focus on color in every creation, for example in the works of Gio Ponti, or the Memphis Group (known for its uninhibited attitude to color use) founded by architect Ettore Sottsass.”
To maintain this duality, there are two collections. Milan’s Monochromatic Treasures represents the city’s quiet side. Moonstones are used to recall the fog that often envelops the city. Milan’s Colorful Prism is the vibrant side of the city, with colored gems, some baroque-cut and smooth like glass, some tiny and set in enchanting rainbow bases. Castaldo says, “Combining these two seemingly opposite faces of Milan – one concrete and the other intangible, each with its own characteristics – this high jewelry collection gives us a true, in-depth, multidimensional perspective of the city.”
Milan is far from the only Italian city renowned for its gold and gems. FOPE would not be the brand it is today without Vicenza, a city in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy. “The local art and culture have always been a source of inspiration for our brand’s jewelry creations. Vicenza is Italy’s most important goldsmith district, which has certainly influenced the design of all FOPE collections, based on traditional gold mesh chains associated with the region,” explains Marilisa Cazzola, Chief Marketing Officer of FOPE.
FOPE’s Creative Director, Claudia Piaserico, elaborates further on this point. Vicenza is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its outstanding Palladian architecture. “The works of Andrea Palladio, based on detailed studies of classical Roman architecture, give our city its unique appearance,” she says. His work inspired a distinct architectural style known as Palladian, which then spread to other European countries and North America.
“The modularity of FOPE’s gold mesh chains is inspired by the modularity of Vicenza’s Palladian architecture, while individual pieces in our high jewelry Super Eka collection reflect the same modularity in their personal designs. Palladio’s most important building is the Basilica Palladiana, and FOPE’s brand color, seen in all FOPE boutiques worldwide, matches the verdigris tones of the cathedral’s famous copper-lined domed roof, shaped like an inverted hull.”
What would Bulgari be without Rome? In fact, Bulgari’s connection to Rome is so strong that it has made multiple donations for the city’s preservation. The company has allocated 1.5 million euros for cleaning, reinforcing, and protecting its famous Spanish Steps. In 2015 and 2016, it funded the restoration of the colored floor mosaics in the Caracalla Baths, which date back to the 2nd century and hadn’t been seen for over 40 years.
Bulgari also financed the construction and installation of walkways and other services for the Sacred Area at Largo di Torre Argentina, a square containing four temples built between the 4th and 2nd centuries BC, where Julius Caesar is said to have been assassinated.
It’s a beautiful cycle. Rome serves as Bulgari’s inspiration. In return, Bulgari restores its source of inspiration. This ensures that the Eternal City endures, capable of sparking creative imagination in others.
The Geographical Muse: How Location Shapes Jewelry Design
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