Our first cities, our earliest civilisations - five thousand years ago -  found ways of penetrating hard stones with tools still harder that they would clearly and effectively leave a discernible mark - a mark of ownership or identity, of authenticity or of spiritual significance.  But one should perhaps think of Cameos, and even Intaglios - in their most exquisite forms - as sculptures, not engravings.

Whilst everyone’s talking about the theft of priceless royal jewels from the Louvré in Paris - which was, admittedly, very impressive and also opened up some valuable discussion around jewels and gems and European colonial ‘acquisitions’ - we thought we’d explore a few other notable jewellery robberies from years gone by… They may not include such famed jewels as the Marie Louise necklace (pictured right and presented by Napoleon to his second wife), the stories are, by their very nature, each as wild as the next. 

After two world wars, Modernism was reborn again. It was another chance. This is a story of the 20th century, of heaven and hell and how in the hands of a new generation of artists and jewellery-makers, great ideals were reflected in astonishing new approaches to metalwork - refracted across floating and luminous stones. And what, if anything, remains of these interwar and post-war jeweller-artists? "Perhaps what we should rehabilitate today is not beauty, but good craftsmanship: art as hard work. You have to study, to learn how to do it. Craftsmanship. That's what I admire today."

"When the Arts & Crafts Castrated William Morris" - Arts and Crafts. From conception it was a socialist movement, but ended up - to quote Art Historian Alan Crawford - “a bohemian gentleman’s club, smokey and exclusive” where “a narrow and tiresome aristocracy” was to be found “working with great skill for the very rich”. And moreover, “working women showed no interest”.  So how exactly did the Arts and Crafts - the New Love - castrate Mr Morris? Find out in our latest blog post. We take a deep dive into the movement and we find out how a language that may have begun in bohemian men’s socialist clubs (and echo chambers) was transformed into an international vehicle for the empowerment and liberation of working women.   

It evokes opulence and extravagance, but the claw is quite plainly mounted (in silver, sure but still), nothing too fancy. A contradiction. So who would have made this… worn this… and why?

  What follows is, in part, a concise biography of the life and works of Alessandro Castellani. It is also a brief account of the unification of Italy and some ideologies at play; ideologies which, while seemingly emancipatory, laid the groundwork for 20th century Italian and European fascism; ideologies which visibly fed back into the astonishing craftsmanship of Castellani.   

ROME, 1930: an Italian jeweller and businessman of great renown passes away. In accordance with his will, his family’s estate - extensive archives and research, and a formidable collection of jewellery and historical artefacts - is bequeathed to the Italian state...  But would the previous owners of the firm - Alfredo’s grandfather, (Fortunato Pio), his uncle, (Alessandro), and his father, (Augusto) - have turned in their graves at the thought?   …Or would they have made the same bequest?