I was just told about the 'best jewelry making school in the world’
and it was in Italy. Supposedly it’s where Bvlgari gets most of their
benchers. What might be the name of this place? I don’t think I could
ever afford to go, but I’d sure love to look at their website if you
have an idea of it’s name
My thanks!
Anni
Hi Anni,
I’ve lived in Florence, Italy for three years now, and I haven’t
heard of any consensus on a “best of them all” sort of school. Any
more clues, like a city or region? I don’t know where Bulgari gets
its benchers, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they use contract shops
because a lot of luxury brands (even Italian ones) do so for their
“made in Italy” production. The Italian bench jewelers who work in
those shops mostly still train through the classic apprenticeship.
Florence is a major jewelry city and there are several different
schools here, but they mostly serve foreigners. The trade school
with the closest connection to Italian work is called Il Perseo
(http://www.perseoschool.it) but there are several others which run
the gamut from international study-abroad style places similar to
U.S. jewelry programs to art schools connected to the European art
jewelry movement. Alchimia (www.alchimia.it) is the most art school
oriented of these; it’s quite Italian, but it doesn’t train bench
jewelers. These two are both considered great schools but I don’t
think either one of them is turning out the folks who are benching
for the big names. If you do consider coming to Italy to study
jewelry I’ll be glad to help you figure out what your best option is
for what you want to do. Bench school and art school are really
different things in Italy, but it’s a great place to do either.
Tanti auguri e buone feste,
Zachary
I have a neighbor whose Italian. He keeps telling me I should go to
this school in Italy.
Good Luck,
-d
Hello Zachary: i have been in the jewelry world all of my life and I
have always been interested in the design of jewelry specfically that
place in the mind where the design comes from (I don’t know of a
better way to put it right now), or the origin of why you draw a line
this way instead of that way? I’m hoping that you will understand
what I’m trying to get at here because it’s a very Ambiguious thing.
Any way in relation to your offer to give advice about Italian
Schoo ls I thought I would ask about this area, do you know of any
place that teaches “this” as a program, I am I feel a fairly good
designer, but i could be better or we all could be better, I guess
and this is THE most interesting aspect of the jewelry world to
me…I feel that there are any number of technically
profcient people who can execute any design, that is not the
important thing, any expertly produced mediocre piece does not
improve the desirability of that piece, however how many of us have
purchased horribly excuted work because we like all or some aspect
of the design or intended product,thinking that we will be inspired.
I have seen bad companies survive because of great design,and great
companies fail because of poor design…As i see it design is
the most critical part of the jewelry business and I have always
considered the It alians to be some of if not the best designers as
a group, and if they had a school for this it might be ineresting to
know about.
I realize that this is perhaps a strange email But…hey it’s
worth a shot.
Thanks…Frankenstein
Hi Angela,
As far as I’m concerned the best jewelry school in Italy is in Todi,
in the Umbria section of Italy. Go to:
http://www.giovanni-corvaja.com
Giovanni does amazing work, teaches and is a really nice guy too.
Todi is a tiny hilltop town and Giovanni has a wonderful studio and
he speaks English as well as Italian.
Jennifer Friedman
Ventura, CA