French-born designer Ornella Iannuzzi crafts statement jewels
LONDON, November 4, 2012 – French-born designer-maker Ornella Iannuzzi, who has had a big impact on the London jewellery scene, crafts statement pieces for women who want to make an impression.
Inspired by Nature and Alchemy, the award-winning artist-jeweller considers her creations as little artworks, and questions standard measures of preciousness.
Using a wide range of natural materials, Ornella’s work is characterised by harmonious composition of colour, texture and materials; complex and sculptural eye-catching forms — expressive and adventurous pieces that are individualistic and dramatic.
Ring “Cassiopeia” , with Ethiopian Wello opal ( 6,3cts ) and 12 diamonds
set in 18k gold -2012
Unusual settings are her forte, with a strong focus on the featured gemstone, which can be cut, rough or hand-carved, as featured in her opal collection “Lucy in Wonderland”.
Ornella showcased her latest unique designs at Goldsmiths’ Fair in central London where she received praise from customers milling among the eye-catching booths.
Her newest collection entitled “Les Exceptionnelles” features a silver ring with a large, rough black tourmaline, combined with a light blue aquamarine, available for 2,500 pounds.
Ring ” L’exceptionnel Grenat Démantoïde ” made with rough demantoid garnet set in 22k gold – 2011
Another ring from Les Exceptionnelles has a Moroccan azurite, a soft, deep blue copper mineral produced by weathering of copper ore deposits. Mounted in vermeil with sapphires, it is for sale for 3,000 pounds.
“Les Exceptionelles is a collection of unique pieces based on minerals of collectable quality,” Ornella said.
“Sometimes a rough mineral can be worth many times more than a cut stone.”
Ornella attracted a lot of interest from visitors to Goldsmiths’ Fair, because another of her pieces, a twisted golden cuff, was prominently displayed in the event’s posters.
Ornella spends dozens of hours hand-carving her one-off pieces, ensuring the highest standards of craftsmanship.
The most striking theme of her work is the boldness of her designs.
“My pieces appeal to someone who is not afraid of being a trend-setter,” Ornella said in a recent interview with Jewellery Outlook.
“It takes a woman of character to wear my jewellery.”
Ornella’s unusual choice of stones reinforces the vigour of her designs.
“My jewellery is characterised by the use of very unusual material and striking stones,” she said.
Ring “Coral Atoll”, with mabe pearl set in 18k gold – 2012
Since she started her business five years ago, Ornella’s focus has been mainly to serve bespoke commissions for a small and loyal clientele.
Now she is branching out to reach a wider audience and is working on her first commercial collection, inspired by the sea and corals, due to be launched in the summer of 2013.
The collection is expected to be organic and bubbly and feature pearls, she said. Some of the new pieces may incorporate gold.
Her previous small-scale collections of one-off pieces have been inspired by Nature, such as Nature’s Treasure (with pyrites), Abyss (the sea), Into The Wood (the forest), and Lucy in Wonderland (the Ethiopian landscape).
