Written by Khalid Hatem

When you merely mention Piemonte, you automatically think of luxury gems, gold, silver as well as jewelers and workshops dotted around – all gleaming in style, which is thanks to Valenza, for being the home of high-end jewelry. With that being said, our first-hand experience at VELVET Magazine, by Michide International, the luxury hospitality and travel experts in the Middle East made it perfect from the minute we departed until we arrived.

Embarking on ‘The Luxury Of Piemonte: A Jewel Of Sustainability In The Digital Era’ trip we discovered artisans at work producing custom creations, participated in exclusive workshops and listened to jewelers tell tales of design, rare gems, and silversmithing. It was truly inspiring!

Our trip to Piemonte, Valenza was a whirlwind.

Discover the highlights of our luxury jewelry trip by Michide, headed by Gessy Gitapuri below, featuring creatives, unique designs, talks, and even educational establishments!

Annaratone Jewelry

Annaratone s.r.l. was founded back in 2014, they produce unique wire jewelry. This process is distinguished by the extreme care in the design phase, which is the prerequisite for instantly-recognizable high-quality products that tell a story of design, style, and elegance in the most refined handcrafted Valenza-style excellence, the embodiment of “small is beautiful”.

Gabriella Rivalta

Getting inspirations from the most beautiful shapes and colors of nature, Gabriella Rivalta ideates and draws jewels that the practiced hands of her co-workers will realize.
The drawings of the creators are painted on a gold base made by the goldsmiths in the Gabriella Rivalta workshop.

The technique used is the ancient technique of fire enamel. The jewels will be enameled with the knowledge of the major art experts of the miniature, practice whom, with a lot of patience and through a long procedure will achieve a neverending variety of colors and nuances.

LENTI & VILLASCO

Founded by Piero Lenti and Osvaldo Villasco, for more than half a century Lenti Villasco has been creating, designing and producing top-quality Italian jewelry. Their aspiration to obtain jewels with impeccable workmanship in every small detail immediately becomes their mission and remains unchanged, solid over time and in the generational passage.

From the conception to the design project, from the selection of the raw materials to the realization of the model, from the metalworking to the setting of the stones, to the finishing of every smallest detail: they take care of all the phases of the production process to transform the most precious materials, into wonders of high jewelry. Their collections are born from the creative research of Giuliana Lenti, who is the designer and responsible for the entire process of jewelry design and design supervision, and stylistic perfection.

Elisabetta Donadio

Elisabetta Donadio is inspired by her greatest passions: prehistoric iconography and primal forms of art. The curved shapes of her creations have a very specific meaning. The universal language of simple shapes-circles, spheres, and all curved shapes go beyond what man can ever reach: the earth, sun, cosmic roundness.

They evoke, unconsciously, everything related to compassion and intimacy within us. Even today, we are inexplicably more attracted to anything that has a curved shape rather than angular, which appeals to us personally and has an enormous evocative power upon us. 

Elisabetta Donadio expresses her passion by using the various materials, 925 Silver, gold or inexpensive metals; in very creative combinations with the collaboration of experienced Valencian goldsmiths. The knowledge gained in the world of art also continues with a glimpse of a new world, which is of Jewellery Design. “I Gioielli dalla Terra” are unique pieces made by hand, worn by the contemporary woman who has become tired of traditional jewelry. 

Tinelli

Luciano Tinelli’s great adventure sprang up in 1966, where the capital of Italian jewelry is: Valenza. Tinelli’s creativeness and competence model from the first collections mix fascinating new ideas to a handcraft jewelry tradition well alive; in few years the name Tinelli sounds familiar by the most famous international jewelry firms.

Ever since, the interaction with different cultures gives a further impulse to the creation of unique jewelry masterpieces, such as “Art Nouveau”, Zodiacs and Neoclassical collections, which success is still endless.

Their jewels are all made of 18 kt gold and precious stones, the enamels are all fired enamels and for art nouveau jewels they are applied with the applique a jour technique. For the watch collection, also handmade, diamonds are collection color (F + and UP) flawless to vvs1.

ALEX°BALL

“After years and years of producing the highest quality settings, still recognized as the best in the marketplace, there was a demand to invent something new and revolutionary.
My intuition was suggesting the creation of a different world in gold. Starting with my own Italian surname, I figured out the type of product I wanted – a ball or sphere. “Fase Iniziale” has been the first collection of ALEX°BALL brand.”
(Stated by Alessandro Pallavidini)

Their mission is to give to the modern, travel-loving woman the chance to keep a memory of her beautiful experience or holidays, making it indelible through their works of art. Made in Italy, the diamonds will always revive the lived emotions.

ALEX•BALL Milano is a goldsmith designer who invents and creates works of art with a spherical theme and sells directly to customers in his boutiques, situated in exclusive tourist locations, at competitive prices. Other companies produce generic “jewels” in series and sell through intermediaries. This means that the customer, in addition to standing out in the look, invests in a valuable product at competitive prices. Art increases in value over time, the sphere is a timeless shape.

FOR.AL School

The Vocational School FOR.AL “V. Melchiorre” has always considered that the “Tradition, Innovation and Research” are the primary goal and has always formed the young generation through Theoretical and Practical courses arranging with and in support of the companies.

In Italy “The three so-called Gold Capitals” worldwide known, are Arezzo, Valenza, and Vicenza. More than eight hundred tons ( 800Tons) of gold are worked every year in our country.

The Region Piemonte has always considered the actions related to the sector of artistic and traditional as a priority. To confirm this we want to emphasize that, to date, only our Region attaches a mark of “Artisan Excellence” to those companies that demonstrate the possession of the requirements demanded by special Production Regulations.
Jewelry Handicrafts, in our Region Piemonte, shows a strong connection between “Tradition and Modernity” The craftsman is not restricted to replication, although excellent, of past traditions but he also has the ability of leading his company with an entrepreneurial mindset, with care and sensitivity always directed to the study and use of innovative technologies. Today the goal of the modern craftsman is to achieve the total quality of the product.

If you are a lover of the finer things within jewelry and craft, Piemonte in Valenza is the penultimate destination for you. Not only did it educate us, it opened our eyes to a whole new world of creativity and taught us there is luxury in every detail.