Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** This article explores the enduring legacy of Milan’s goldsmith workshops, where ancient techniques are preserved across generations. With 4,000 companies in Lombardy employing 11,000 people and an 8% employment growth over five years, the sector remains a vital thread in Italy’s cultural and economic fabric.
In Lombardy, there are 4,000 companies, equal to 12.7% of the national total, employing 11,000 people. Over the past five years, employment has grown by 8%, driven by the Lombardy capital (+14%).
by Giulia Crivelli
January 17, 2020
Tools of the trade for artisan goldsmiths
5 minutes read
Jewelry has always been considered a lofty art and has enjoyed (and still enjoys) a particular prestige everywhere, in every era. In her Journey Among Italian Jewels, a story written for Federorafi, Sonia Bolzani begins by recalling the figure of Saint Eligius, who lived between 588 and 660 in France: his story is depicted in two French cathedrals (Angers and Le Mans) and in the Milan Cathedral, with the stained glass window by Niccolò da Varallo, a gift from Milanese goldsmiths in the 15th century. Eligius was hired as an apprentice by the Lyonese goldsmith Abbone, who directed the royal mint. Under King Clotaire, he became court goldsmith and patron saint of the category, thanks – legend says – to his creativity and dedication to the goldsmith art, as well as to the king. 1,400 years have passed, but jewelry continues to be made not only to create and celebrate wealth, but to bring joy, like any intrinsically beautiful object.
Antonio Piluso, a goldsmith of Calabrian origins, has been in Milan for decades and has created his brand Pilgiò. The boutique-workshop is located in the Sant’Ambrogio area (via Caminadella) and is a destination for clients from all over the world. Particularly famous among Pilgiò’s collections are the “mute” gold jewelry, a technique invented by Piluso.
The most structured and analyzed goldsmith districts are those of Piedmont (Valenza Po), Veneto (Vicenza), and Tuscany (Arezzo). Immediately after, however, comes Lombardy, which still plays an important role, whose roots – as Sonia Bolzani recalls – must be sought in the goldsmiths active since the Middle Ages. From generation to generation, in fact, traditional repertoires have never been abandoned, even when new decorative forms have been added.
In Lombardy we can even speak of millennia-old roots: Lombard treasures are preserved in the Monza Cathedral, in the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio in Milan, and in some churches in Bergamo and Chiavenna. Goldsmith art reached its full development in Milan in the 15th century and today, alongside the activity of Milanese jewelers, the birth of a processing center in Mede (Pavia), under the influence of nearby Valenza Po, should be noted. For silver, the expert chasers of Como, Cernobbio, and Fino Mornasco are famous.
Coming to the data, the most recent is the processing by the Chamber of Commerce of Milan Monza Brianza Lodi updated to the third quarter of 2019. In Lombardy, 12.6% of national companies are concentrated, for a total of 4,000 companies with 11,000 employees, compared to 29,000 companies throughout Italy, which employ 73,000 people. In recent years, a phenomenon of concentration can be noted: the number of companies decreases, but employees increase. Milan leads the ranking with 1,728 activities, about half of the total and with over 7,000 employees, concentrated in wholesale trade (about 3,000), retail (about 2,000), in addition to almost a thousand in processing. Over the last five years, employees have grown by 8%, driven by Milan (+14%).
Among the most famous brands in world jewelry (which remains 80% unbranded) is Pomellato, founded in Milan in 1967 by Pino Rabolini. Today it is among the top five European jewelry producers and since 2013 has been part of the Kering group, which since the acquisition has further invested in Italian production facilities: Pomellato is also on the market with the DoDo brand and employs over a hundred goldsmiths and artisans. A factory (but it would be better to define it as a large artisan workshop) is located right in Milan and mainly produces the DoDo collection.
Near Legnano, on the other hand, is the headquarters of the jewelry division of Dolce&Gabbana, which has prêt-à-porter lines (for women and men) and a high jewelry collection, presented twice a year together with haute couture, high tailoring, and high watchmaking (see Il Sole 24 Ore of December 8). In September, Giorgio Armani also presented its first high jewelry collection: in this case, the style office is obviously in Milan, while production is mainly done in the Valenza Po district.
Given the millennia-old tradition we have mentioned, the large number of goldsmith schools present in Milan should not be surprising, some of which have a long history and are attended by students from all over the world. The most specialized, all in the center of Milan, are the Scuola Orafa Ambrosiana, the Scuola d’Arte Orafica, the Istituto Gemmologico Italiano, and the Centro di Formazione Professionale Galdus.