Talking Italian Jewellery, design and craftsmanship with Vhernier Deputy General Manager – Isabella Traglio
Vhernier Jewellery recently launched the Coucher De Soleil collection that represent the the DNA of the brand in terms of simplicity, precision and usage of new material such as the bronze. Can you shed more the lights on this collection and its inspiration?
Vhernier was born from the desire of creating contemporary jewellery. We’ll only create a jewel if it is really new and different from anything else existing. Inspiration can be stimulated by many things; it can come from the image in a book, or by looking at a crab walking on the sand, or from a sculpture; in any case there is always a detail, for example a curve, a twist, or a color, which strikes us, from which the whole creative process starts and which is maintained in the jewel. In the case of the Coucher du Soleil collection, everything was born from the desire of reproducing a warm, soft light, like that of the sunset, which is one of the days’ most beautiful moments. We reaserched a lot with materials that could bring that feeling, and with shapes and dimensions that adequately portray this precise moment of the day. The material that seemed the most suitable to honor this atmosphere was bronze. This collection was no easy task and it took us two years of research, spent studying how to achieve utterly flawless shapes from bronze casting, and how to forge the perfect metal band. This was a very time-consuming process, as no corrections can be made to bronze while it is being worked. The pieces of this collection are made of vertical elements, in rose gold and bronze. Onto the bronze we placed diamonds, because diamonds stand out much more on bronze than on gold. These elements, connected to one another, all handmade, all smelted one by one, are twisted. A further challenge of this collection, on top of forging the metal, was in combining all the twisted vertical elements together, so that they can be perfectly united and at the same time perfectly elastic. We’re so proud of this collection, of its lights and colors; the color shifts from light, reflected by gold, to night, or in any case, a darker moment which is represented by the bronze. Take the cuff, for instance: as it turns, it reflects light, continually. It’s a beautiful light, a warm light, a soft light, like the one of the sunset.
What impact do you expect for the Coucher De Soleil collection to have on sales and especially in the M.E?
This collection has been very successful in the countries that received the creations first, such as Italy. Our customers love the shapes and above all the easy werability of the jewels, given especially by the bronze which is a very light material; although more decorative than is typical of Vhernier’s customary approach, yet this collection still features the clean, understated aesthetics which is our signature. Here in the Middle East, where we are launching right now the collection, it has aroused a lot of interest and we have already received orders. Its being so different from everything reconfirms our identity as an innovative brand both for the shapes and for the materials used, and its success is a further recognition of the fact that customers are more and more looking for contemporary and innovative jewellery.
Your jewellery is manufactured in the famous region of Valenza which is one of the most important gold jewellery regions in Italy. What best separates Vhernier from the other Italian counterparts in your region?
At Vhernier we never get tired of experimenting: it is part of our belief in innovation and of our nonconformist spirit. The great challenge of contemporary jewellery is to make pieces that are closer to our way of living. For an Italian brand, it is a matter of identifying how to combine innovation with the great tradition of craftsmanship of this country, at the same time maintaining one’s own identity. We have chosen to follow this path by creating something new, with unconventional designs and materials used in an innovative way. And, obviously, we do so always by relying on and by improving the extremely skilled hands of the best Master Craftsmen in our ateliers located in Valenza. We like inventing “the jewel that does not exist yet” and for so doing we begin from the skills of our artisans and go further, finding together a way to craft the new pieces. The preservation of a local heritage combined with innovation is one of the values we stand and strive for. Few years ago we wanted to create a contemporary gorget: light, soft and totally new. After an almost 3 years long research we created the Blue Velvet, a necklace made of titanium; the metal is shaped into delicate thin blue coloured waves profiled with the most beautiful diamonds. A unique combination, a never before seen piece that epitomises our bold and creative style. Creating the jewel of tomorrow requires time, patience and the risk of the unknow. We’re definitely courageous, not only in the choice of materials and shapes, but also in our decision of researching a lot to create something that is not already seen. Research is long, involves a lot of risk taking, but it’s what makes jewellery relevant, today.
You have built a reputation of continuously exploring different materials as part of your tradition (such as titanium in your Velvet collection and recently in the Coucher De Soleil collection), while focusing on unconventional designs. How did this strategy helped in building a strong identity for your brand?
Since the very beginning Vhernier jewellery has been almost as a "form of resistance" to fashions and platitude: we have always refused to follow codes set by others, and instead we have created new ones. These codes are our own: soft shapes, bold pieces yet rigorously essential, clean. Always with a sense of movement. Creations are often a combination of precious materials with non precious or even non-ritual ones. Colours are bright and bold, because jewellery must also be joyful. These codes helped in defining a Vhernier style, which is immediately recognizable. What is also very important is that we’re not creating and researching just for the sake of it. To be contemporary, a piece of jewellery must be wearable. Hence all efforts are in creating something that is totally new and at the same time totally wearable, ergonomic.
In 2018, Vhernier celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Calla necklace, one of your signature collections. Does the Calla collection remain to be the main pillar among your collections? and why?
The Calla necklace represents the absolute essence of contemporary jewellery, according to us. To be contemporary, a jewel must be wearable; must be adequate in any situation, and must make a woman look more beautiful, always. From the moment it was launched the Calla necklace has brought a great innovation, mainly for its great wearability. Which is due to its simple, clean line, its almost ancestral form, which suits any face and turns very well on any neck. And also for the combination of different materials, which make it perfect for any time and occasion: gold with ebony, gold with kogolong, or the most beautiful diamonds combined with titanium. Given the success it encountered and the fact that it is Vhernier’s most emblematic piece, its shape has remained untouched. What we added, to celebrate its 20th anniversary, are materials and new colours combined with diamonds. Such as the "Eyeliner" pave: this pavé we have conceived, which is characterized by a very complex realization, is like a carpet of large and small stones and excites for the apparent randomness with which the diamonds are set. With this new pavé we have added to the poetic rigor of the Calla a new sensuality and exceptional modernity. Because of its understated shape, the Calla necklace has proved an ideal subject for experimenting with an unusual material such as titanium and in 2019 the collection was enriched with bracelets, earrings and rings that adapt to the wearer’s body, yet still retain their aesthetics and recognizable shape. For the first time, the conical elements have been crafted in titanium profiled with diamonds or in titanium and gold and have been curved, allowing them to smoothly embrace wrists, fingers and ear lobes, with a more delicate touch.
How important is the bridal jewellery and the bespoke orders for Vhernier. Any orders you would like to talk about that you have received from the Middle East region?
Both are certainly important, especially in the Middle East. Either it’s more a customization, with customers asking to adapt one of our existing designs - for instance changing the colour of the stones or the shade of gold, making the chains longer or shorter- or it’s a bespoke - where we create from scratch according to the customers will – the co-creation is extremely engaging. More and more customers want to be part of the creative process. It takes some time as there are some necessary steps: first there is design team that must translate and interpret the customers’ desires; then comes the assessment of the feasibility, and then begin the tests with waxes, and all the fittings with the customer. It is truly a job done together, customer and design team, and it’s a wonderful experience.
Could you please profile Vhernier Jewellery buyers in the Middle East?
Customers in the Middle East are extremely knowledgeable: they recognize when a piece is well crafted and only want the best; it’s very rewarding for us, as all our creations are made by the most expert Master Craftsmen using exclusively the best materials. We love the fact that they appreciate our pavé, which is made with the best diamonds we can find on the market: never less than F colour, VVS for clarity and excellence in cut, with excellence in symmetry and proportions. They also love our fluid, organic shapes and above all the bright colours of the gemstones we highlight with our famous Trasparenze like the ones featured in the Freccia collection we’ve created exclusively for Dubai which combines diamonds with opal, quartz and rock crystal in a contemporary and bold design. More and more they’re turning to unusual materials, such as titanium paired to diamonds as in our Calla Midi collection, which has been a success in the region. This shows that customers in the Middle East are extremely updated and curious and do are not afraid to explore innovative jewellery.
What is your expansion plan in this region? Will you be present soon across the Gulf region?
Vhernier is increasingly appreciated for its unique and bold identity. The success we are having is bringing us new opportunities; we will be opening a Vhernier boutique in Kuwait City at The Avenues, within couple of months. We aim at bringing a growing audience to appreciate contemporary jewellery, one that’s different from everything else that’s currently on the market. We are eager to increase our presence in the region.
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