Italian Designer Jewelry History

The history of jewelry design in Italy is rich, diverse and passionate. Modern Italian designer jewelry draws from traditions in fine craftsmanship that dates back centuries. Almost every culture indulges in some form of body adornment, much of this is done in relation to a ceremonial purpose; religious affiliation, social status or family. This was no less true in Italy; however, there are some unique differences in the approach of the Italian designer to jewelry that is linked to the great role of Rome in world history. The campaigns that extended the power of the Roman empire to far corners of the world, resulted in different influences coming to bear on the Italian artistic design of jewelry.

In many of the works by classical Italian jewelry designers, you see traces of Egyptian, Greek and Asian culture. How the combination of these cultures impacted the development of designs, is easy to see from the discoveries of jewelry made during the ancient Etruscan period in southern Italy. From the 9th to 4th centuries B.C., these early Italian jewelry designers, whose gold jewelry designs have never been equaled in beauty, perfected the techniques that are still in use in making Italian designer jewelry today. A prime example of the value jewelers place on their craft is seen in the life of one of the best known 19th century Italian jewelry designers, Pio Fortuna Castellani, who studied and revived the Etruscan "granulation" technique for crafting gold jewelry. Castellani, among others throughout the history of Italian jewelry design, have infused passion into this craft of beauty, that in many regions of the country is almost an obsession. This is the main factor which has set their production apart from the rest of the world.

Gold has always been the most highly used metal in Italian designer jewelry; respecting the fact that the human body, mind and spirit has a strong, innate connection to gold, more than any other metal. Prized for its affinity to the color to the sun, our powerful lifegiver on earth, the attraction of gold is magnetic and was revered in ancient times. The demand for gold Italian designer jewelry of today has not lessened, but the wonderful Italian sterling silver jewelry cannot be ignored either. Now there are Italian jewelry designers that have chosen to work exclusively in the highest quality sterling silver, creating beautiful ornaments for every part of the body. The demand for Italian designer jewelry is the result of high production standards along with the originality, quality and diversity. The history of craftsmanship of Italian designer jewelry has always been highly valued, whether it was for gold, sterling silver or gemstone pieces.