Goldsmiths’ Fair: Ornella Iannuzzi inspired by Ethiopia
LONDON, October 3, 2010 – Award-winning designer Ornella Iannuzzi will be launching her latest collection, “Lucy in Wonderland”, during week two of the Goldsmiths’ Fair, from October 5-10, 2010, with designs based on Ethiopian Wello opals and inspired by her trip to Ethiopia earlier this year.
This new collection demonstrates a new direction in Ornella’s jewellery with her debut into stone carving.
“Lucy in Wonderland” is named after one of the oldest discoveries in the ancestral line of human beings, found in 1974 at Hadar in Ethiopia, and commonly known as “Lucy”.
The title also reflects Ornella’s journey around the country — an enchanted adventure similar to that of Alice in Wonderland — full of surprises, wonders, magical moments, mysteries and emotions.
Ornella was influenced by the architecture and the striking landscapes of Ethiopia such as the jaggedly carved Simien Mountains and the Danakil Depression with its sulphur fumaroles and lunar-like landscape.
She translated these contrasts into her jewellery, using the Ethiopian Wello opals in each piece.
Combining precious metals with rough or sculpted opals, the range brings a new aesthetic to opal jewellery — an artwork to wear or to display.
Ornella recently won the Crafts & Design Selected Jewellery Awards and was shortlisted in the catwalk category of the UK Jewellery Awards 2010.
