DW SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2019

Design stuDio
moonstone cabochon that looks like a
drop of water) there is a pool of dark
blue lapis lazuli with a layer of white
carved quartz to look like the little
waves of the deep arctic waters. The
scene is surrounded by tiny Paraíba
tourmalines and diamonds. Inside,
there is a poignant moment, a mother
polar bear being detached from her
cubs on a pair of druzy quartz carved
to look like melting ice patches. The
bears are carved out of tagua nuts or
vegetable ivory.
His brand has come to be known
for its jewels that are conversational
pieces, theatrical and unconventional
in their demeanour. But Alessio hates
the word brand. “I am so tired of
this word. Everybody is a brand now.
Everything is a brand now. I wish there
was a word that was less pretentious.
I am not pretentious and I never
want to be so. We need to change this
perception that artists and creative
people are or could be pretentious
or are justified to have a bad and
sometime unbearable behavior just
because they are creating something.
On the contrary, I think that
“humility” is the key of success. A
brand also means being structural and
everything about structure and rigid
politics and hierarchy scares me.”
Alessio likes to use the word “precious
journey” instead of brand, which he
claims is whimsical. “Of course I care
whether people buy my jewellery or
not, but I want them to remember me
and my creations for something. I want
to create that emotional connection
between audience and my pieces, an
unspoken subtle liaison, an invisible
dialogue which will remain cemented
in people’s soul and memory.”
The usage of colours is very
important to Alessio. In his previous
experiences in Australia, he was in
charge of coming out with collections
by using gemstones that would
enhance the multiple hues of pearls
in shades ranging from champagne to
golden, silvery blue or pinkish tones
and Tahitian pearls that come in pitch
black to peacock, aubergine, reddish
and greenish hues. “I believe colour
is everything in life. It is passion –
you don’t have the same mood in the
afternoon that you experience in the
evening.” Movement is also an integral
part of Alessio’s jewellery and the
ergonomic quality lends his pieces a
more high-end appeal. “The movement
of the jewellery follows the movement
of the body. They become timeless
and the stones are inclined to sparkle
more with movement.” You can’t take
the Roman out of Alessio and hidden
elements that are bound to surprise
the onlooker are one of his signature
techniques. “It’s in my blood. You walk
through a tiny street in Rome and you
end up in a grand piazza, everything
Melting Arctic ring
built during the Baroque period was
so dramatic.” And for him it is the
ludic characteristic of jewellery that
is most interesting, which is why he
makes some of them multifunctional.
“A woman needs to play with her
jewellery. She needs to be amused,
she needs to interact with her precious
jewels. She needs to wear the surprise
and enjoy herself.”
Every piece is a story and the
story is the soul of his pieces. In
one of his earlier works, ‘Homage
to Renaissance’ he narrates the
story of Florence, the birthplace
of Renaissance by demonstrating
astounding micro-mosaic technique
with a smattering of pearls and
rubellites. The strands of pearls and
rubellite beads feature a locket with
a micro-mosaic painting of Duomo di
Firenze (Cathedral of Florence) and
Caterina de’ Medici. The earrings are a
pair of lockets and when opened, they
unleash a micro-mosaic painting of
Michelangelo’s David on one side and
the Coat of Arms of Florence on the
other. This obsession, to create pieces
118 september-october 2019 DiamonD WorlD