Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** This article explores the intersection of design philosophy and craftsmanship, highlighting how matte finishes and handcrafted details elevate jewelry from mere adornment to wearable art.
If we speak solely in terms of design, we must certainly mention the use of a matte finish in our jewelry, a symbol of the refinement of our creations. This handcrafted effect makes each piece highly versatile and easy to wear, whether one loves the gold effect or not. Our jewelry is meant to be discovered, full of details meticulously worked by hand. A simple setting can be rich with micro-facets; a brilliant pave of stones can hide a complex interlocking of gems of various sizes. The designs often play with angles, curves, geometric shapes, and sinuosity. I always remember when, for the moon motif of our jewelry, we were trying to create a sphere, and my goldsmith told me,
and I was more than happy to embrace this irregularity, which makes each sphere unique. Furthermore, we are talking about ultra-versatile and dynamic jewelry, designed to elevate looks from the most casual to the most elegant with a single detail. Finally, Eloise jewelry is crafted at the Casa dell’Orafo in Florence, a historic palace near the Ponte Vecchio where expert artisans have used traditional goldsmithing methods for centuries to create unique pieces.
Other very important distinguishing elements are our materials. Currently, the jewelry market is, on one hand, saturated with low-cost, valueless pieces; on the other hand, we find brands that use precious and colored natural stones but are positioned only at the top of the pyramid, excluding a large market segment. Eloise jewelry is made exclusively from pure metals. Each creation is offered in both 18k gold and 925 sterling silver. The 18k gold is strictly solid. Nowadays, gold jewelry is often hollow and very weak. For our gold-plated silver jewelry, we use a triple plating with 3 microns of 18k gold, which is very thick and resistant, superior to the market average. We have also decided to use natural, authentic stones, where each one is different from the other, chosen by me personally and hand-set in Italy. These are valuable pieces of jewelry where each stone is appreciated for its rarity, irregularity, with its inclusions and imperfections, resulting in one-of-a-kind, never-identical pieces.
The creative process is atypical, with limited use of digital tools to give even more originality to the product. It starts with emotions, then translated into a collective imagery and a precise idea of form, which can be through a sketch or modeling with recycled materials. The ideas are then discussed with my goldsmith, a fundamental person and protagonist in the design, who allows everything to be transformed into a sample. The sample is never perfect, and it is therefore tested and refined, seeking a good balance between shape, weight, three-dimensionality, visibility of the stones, and also, very importantly, the final price we want to maintain for a given piece. This part is often the longest, and it often changes to adapt to the characteristics of the natural stones. The stones are chosen based on their color characteristics, in line with the collection’s idea, but also based on their technical characteristics. Eloise jewelry does not have enormous dimensions, and for this reason, working with natural stones in small cuts is a real challenge, as we must seek as much uniformity of color, thickness, and cut as possible. Once the final sample is obtained, through the lost wax technique, a rubber mold is created, after which the casting of each piece that makes up the jewelry proceeds. Immediately after, the assembly phase begins, a very complex part. The cast pieces are truly rough, so there is a lot of work before they can be assembled. Only then do we proceed with engraving and hallmarking, and finally the delicate hand-setting of the stones. We are very careful in this phase because each setter has their own hand. The final phase is the brushing and cleaning of the jewelry, both manually and with ultrasound. If the jewelry is in 18k gold, it is then ready for quality control. Otherwise, if the jewelry is in plated silver, it is sent to Arezzo to expert plating companies, where 3 microns of 18k gold are applied. The jewelry then returns to Florence for a final quality check.
Very important. We are part of the Italian artisan jewelry sector and therefore use refined gold, never newly mined gold. In this historical moment, marketing in jewelry is more powerful than ever, but also more vague and less truthful. The gold we use in Eloise is sourced from Italian suppliers dedicated exclusively to gold assaying and refining. Of course, gold recovery always has its impact, but we are not talking about damage at the extraction and mining level. At Eloise, we have set ourselves the goal of helping our planet. Some of our initiatives include using packaging made from certified, compostable, and biodegradable wood. Our CO2 impact is lower than industry standards because the entire production chain is located in Italy. Furthermore, we plant a tree for every purchase, supporting various reforestation projects around the world. Finally, we collaborate with expert gemologists to ensure that all our stones are 100% natural and sourced from reliable suppliers.