For jewelry enthusiasts, exploring jewelry stores around the world is often a cherished dream. This time, let’s set our sights on Milan, the global fashion capital. This city not only exudes rich cultural heritage but also brims with avant-garde trendsetters.
Fashion, after all, has always been Milan’s defining characteristic. If you’re looking to experience a “jewelry serendipity” on your future travels, make sure to bookmark this understated yet exquisite workshop. It’s sure to add a touch of brilliance to your private journey!
A rare European shopping expedition naturally calls for thorough planning. BAZAAR Jewelry has identified a boutique that perfectly blends fashion, craftsmanship, history, and storytelling – Ornella Bijoux.
Delving into its rich historical tapestry, we discovered that this niche workshop, established in 1944, has been quietly recommended by Chinese residents and students living in Milan. Judging from the product images available, design is undoubtedly one of its major highlights. Driven by immense curiosity, we couldn’t resist following our GPS to Ornella Bijoux on our second day in Milan.
As we focused our attention on this boutique workshop, an incredible sight greeted us. Three rooms harmoniously blended in style and function: in a space of just over 150 square feet, cabinets with small drawers lined the walls. Each drawer meticulously categorized various “raw materials” – precious, inexpensive, natural, and synthetic. A rough estimate would put the variety at several hundred types, without exaggeration.
Rather than calling it a jewelry store, I prefer to view it as a uniquely crafted, old-world art space. An artisan was working in the gap between cabinets, crafting soon-to-be-finished pieces on a wooden workbench. The second room was slightly larger, featuring a reception table, three chairs, and two sets of bookcases. Each shelf of the bookcases was cluttered with completed works.
Although the space lacked eye-catching decorative styles, it concealed within its modest, artisanal atmosphere a collection of timeless treasures that piqued visitors’ curiosity and admiration. From the moment we stepped into Ornella Bijoux, it felt like embarking on a thrilling journey of exploring marvelous jewelry. The myriad sensations can only be truly appreciated in person.
To trace the history of Ornella Bijoux, we must go back to the 1940s. As a renowned Italian family brand, Ornella’s founder Piera Albani chose to open her boutique, Ornella Bijoux, in the heart of Milan in 1944. From that moment, the fashion capital of Milan gained an immersive jewelry workshop with quality and understated elegance!
Piera Albani’s dedication to building her business was all-consuming, and this passion for art deeply influenced her daughter, Maria Vittoria Albani Scala, who began participating in jewelry design at the age of 15. By the time Maria turned 20, many of her designs had captivated countless jewelry enthusiasts, establishing Ornella Bijoux as a notable jewelry store in Milan.
The efforts of two generations earned this jewelry store the title of “Historic Shop of Milan” (Botteghe Storiche di Milano). Soon after, jewelry from this workshop appeared not only in Milan’s Palazzo Reale Museum but also in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. In the future, you might unexpectedly encounter these pieces in these museums.
What’s particularly worth detailing are the treasures here that embody priceless time. Despite the apparent “disorder” everywhere, it doesn’t hinder our appreciation of Ornella Bijoux’s works. Many original designs incorporate flora and fauna themes, with natural elements shaping naturalistic masterpieces, predominantly in the Italian Baroque Art Nouveau style.
Entering the 1970s, Maria drew inspiration from abstract art, creating pieces using geometric elements and vibrantly colored enamel. Besides copper, gold plating, alloys, crystals, and Murano glass, non-traditional natural materials like rope, leather, and feathers were transformed by her hands into stunning works of art.
As far back as the Renaissance, patterns from nature were widely popular, transforming into radiant, luxurious jewelry. With an increasing variety of material choices, Maria became more liberated in her design themes, with flowers, insects, birds, and animals all becoming her new creative subjects!
Today, Simona Scala has become the third-generation owner of Ornella Bijoux. As time passes, the independent and forward-thinking Simona emulates the founder’s style, capturing time in her creations.
Quick Q&A
Without a prominent sign or eye-catching window display, Ornella Bijoux has continuously attracted countless jewelry enthusiasts from all over the country since its establishment in 1944, inviting them to pause, admire, and find a resonance of beauty here.
Upon meeting the owner of Ornella Bijoux and after a warm embrace, the author’s curiosity about all they had seen was undisguised. As the questions were posed one by one to the third-generation owner Simona Scala, perhaps her answers will make even more people fall in love with this place.
Q: Faced with such a “chaotic” work environment and hundreds of drawers of materials to choose from, how do you quickly find the raw materials you need during the creative process?
Simona: This isn’t difficult for me at all. All the materials you see here were personally sourced by me. Since my mother’s generation, we’ve been making bold breakthroughs in material selection for our designs. After I took over Ornella Bijoux, I believed that anything in the world could be used in jewelry. So I’ve collected various interesting, lively materials that can realize my design inspirations.
I transform shimmering pearls, enameled metals, sea-polished shells, painted wood, Murano glass, vintage ceramics, and Swarovski crystals into unique and timeless jewelry. While it may seem that I’ve placed them in drawers without any system, the organization is in my mind. It’s hard to explain, but whenever I need something, I can always find it quickly.
Q: Most of the current pieces from Ornella Bijoux use copper as the main material, but employ many techniques used in high-end jewelry making. With such intricate designs, why not choose 18K gold and precious gemstones for creation?
Simona: In the Italian jewelry industry, there’s a regulation: if you want to make gold or silver jewelry, you need to obtain a special license that restricts brands to only work with gold and silver materials. For Ornella Bijoux, with its 80-year history, our imaginative designs can’t be fully satisfied by just gold and silver, which would become a limitation.
Additionally, from a price perspective, choosing copper greatly reduces the cost of the finished product, while maintaining our commitment to uncompromising craftsmanship allows consumers to own jewelry with a perfect jewel-like quality.
Q: For what kind of clients does Ornella Bijoux provide custom services?
Simona: We accept very limited custom orders, but there are two types of orders we can’t refuse:
The first is for our loyal fans, customers who have accompanied Ornella Bijoux for decades. We always strive to meet their needs.
The second type of customization depends on the client’s story. While most of our own designs retain naturalistic elements, there are many moving stories in this world that are rare and precious. When we encounter such stories, we want to cherish them and preserve them through our designs.
Q: Some jewelry enthusiasts in China are already your fans. Do you have plans to expand into the Chinese market?
Simona: In recent years, we’ve often received Chinese students studying in Europe. They introduce our workshop to Chinese consumers through live streams and videos on popular Chinese social media platforms, which has driven some sales. China is a vast consumer market, and we hope to have the opportunity to enter it. We’re actively seeking suitable partners for this purpose.
Unveiling Milan’s Hidden Gem: Ornella Bijoux – An 80-Year-Old Jewelry Haven Brimming with Treasures
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