A selection of jewels, precious caskets of craftsmanship, history, and innovation
Christmas is getting closer and closer. Never as in this moment, our hearts feel the desire for beauty, light, and warmth. To celebrate in the name of art and creativity, we went on a journey in search of the most fascinating stories of craftsmanship, tradition, and stylistic innovation. We flew to Paris, the capital of dreams, and then returned to Milan, among the streets and shop windows of the most sparkling city in Italy, and then to Rome, the eternal city, and Lecce, beautiful and rich in culture. And here is our selection!
What better wish for this Christmas than that of good luck, in view of the new year? Jacques Arpels, the nephew of Estelle Arpels, loved to repeat that “to be lucky, you must believe in luck”, and he used to collect four-leaf clovers to give them to the employees along with an English poem “Don’t Quit”. So, starting from 1906, the four-leaf clover has become the protagonist of some of the most famous creations by Van Cleef & Arpels as a symbol of luck. Like the Alhambra® jewelry collection created in 1968, with its refined and essential lines. In November 2022, the Maison enriched the iconic collection with five new jewels in guilloché white gold and a rose gold wrist-watch with a beaded bracelet.
Christmas brings everyone together in a spirit of enthusiasm. And here is a jewel, joyful and sophisticated, signed Vhernier: the Mon Jeu bracelet, in gold and titanium. The jewel, which reinterprets the classic concept of the chain, can be transformed into a necklace: the possibility of customization, a rapidly growing trend, increasingly meets the taste and self-expression needs of the younger generations.
Le Sibille, a Maison of excellence that stands out for the creation of jewels with the ancient “micromosaic” technique, creates wearable works of art with great craftsmanship. And this year Le Sibille presented the exclusive Le Sibille X Donna Jewel capsule collection: five rings in 18-karat gold and “micromosaic”, each with a meaning and a symbol linked to values such as hope, strength, union, and universal love.
Entering Le Sibille’s Roman Atelier is a unique experience: each element, from the work benches to the jewels on display, makes the visitor feel immersed in history and culture, and you can breathe the strong passion of the three founders, Francesca Neri Serneri, Camilla Bronzini, and Antonella Perugini.
Christmas means happiness. Beatrice Bongiasca, the young designer Founder of Bea Bongiasca, creates pop jewels inspired by Asian culture. Her collections tell the most authentic joie de vivre, that same energy that is immediately perceived within her colorful Milanese Atelier. The iconic Baby Vine Tendril Rings, available in many different colors, express joy and fun.
In addition, just in view of Christmas, Bea Bongiasca launched a sparkling new jewel created in collaboration with Ananya, refined brand of emotional jewelry founded by Ananya Malhotra: the Rainbow Chakra bracelet (available exclusively online and for a limited period on ananyaxbea.com). The jewel combines the two designers’ styles and creativity.
2022 for Annamaria Cammilli was a year of liveliness and modernity. The joy of Christmas is expressed in the jewels of the Florentine Maison through a triumph of color. As in the case of the new Dune Color line, which reinterprets the iconic design of the Dune collection, dressing it “with the lively shades of tourmalines, tanzanites, and peridot”.
Or as in the case of Prestige, whose shades of white and blue remind of the depths of the ocean. In this line, inspired by the sea and the waves, “the sinuous shapes of the Rivage collection are enriched with drop cut diamonds and tanzanites”.
For Christmas, Futuro Remoto, the innovative brand founded by Gianni De Benedittis, launched a new collection inspired by the simplicity of childhood memories through symbols such as the nativity scene and the Christmas tree. In the Christmas Ball pendant, the Christmas tree is enclosed in a three-dimensional sphere with a fascinating optical effect; Presepe ring represents the nativity and the comet star.
For her jewels and accessories, Maria Sole Ferragamo, Founder of SO-LE Studio, chooses the highest quality leathers that have remained unused, giving them a new life through light, elegant, and luminous creations. Like the Ray Crystal Gold bracelet, made with Italian leather recycled in Tuscany. “On the coldest days and the happiest ones; on holidays, but also on ordinary days, sun is the fixed-point of our lives.” And here is the perfect choice to celebrate Christmas in the name of sophistication, creativity, and sustainability.
In 2022 SO-LE Studio also impressed us with the opening of the new boutique in Via Sant’Andrea 10, in Milan, a real experiential space that embodies the brand’s values, and with the launch of its first bag, L ‘UNA. The latter, available in different sizes and colors, expresses lightness and preciousness, just like every jewel of SO-LE Studio.
Merry Christmas everyone from Donna Jewel!
“Don’t Quit” by Edgar Albert Guest,
the poem Jacques Arpels used to give to the employees.
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow-
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out-
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit-
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.