Giuliano di Franco’s creations steam from a fascinating dialogue with the materials.
Artistry, jewel, metamorphosis. These three words bring back to life a creative experience, now forgotten. That is the dialogue with matter. It is the beginning of an exploration, an opportunity to be swayed by emotions, inspired by a land constantly moving, and studded with history, charm, and feelings. Giuliana di Franco’s brand is an unprecedented and precious journey into amazement around the Mediterranean culture, with its combinations of matter, form and colour. When? Yesterday, today, tomorrow. Evolution is happening now.
A tangible voice is detectable in each concept. This is art that can be worn; palpable visions which are perfectly designed. They awaken a desire for discovery and hint of magic: Creations which are the fruit of a love story between a woman and – ça va sans dire – her Sicily.
Giuliana di Franco
A jewel designer and goldsmith model maker, she has created a brand bearing her name. She lives and works in Leonforte, where her company is located: A forge where she experiments with new materials and technologies. Some years ago, she opened a store in Milano, in Piazza Argentina, with a project called 'Siciliani d'Autore' (Auteur Sicilians).
Verba, in their real meaning
Artistry
So talented to be a master for others
Modelling and minutely carving is at the basis of each creation, the exclusive passepartout for a deep relationship between the artist and the matter. Handmade.
Rerum omnium magister usus: The experience is master of all.
A charismatic Mediterranean woman, Giuliana di Franco‘s thirty-year experience is the outcome of learning, research and conceptual development, and also ingenuity and creative experimentation. Her jewels are a perfect balance of acquired knowledge and sheer beauty.
«Every jewel – the designer says – is the result of a dialogue with the material. It is relation that has grown over time and that sometimes forces me to a confrontation I didn’t expect».
Gonfi d’Autore, is one of the most representative jewel collections by Giuliana di Franco (cover photo).
The collection comprises five rings and reflects Sicily’s colourful thoughts and stories. From prickly pears to Sicilian carts. Each ring represent a different concept, but all have a common starting point: the Mediterranean culture. The collection is a real exercise in style, representing an ancient and yet modern world. Beauty is balanced between the sensual feminine roundness and the skilfully designed topping. It is a hearty roundness, that feels very familiar.
Jewel
No abstraction.
A jewel is real and it is meant to be worn
To be or not to be? No dilemma here. We place the jewel on our hand at a distance about 10 centimetres from our eyes.
We carefully look at it: It is a small unexplored planet.
So, let’s equip ourselves with a loupe with a 10x magnification power.
At this point we can ask ourselves some crucial questions! Is it a work of craftsmanship? Does it tell a story, express a concept? Does it stir emotions?
If the answers are ‘yes’, then it is probably a jewel. 10×10 is a method that roughly everyone can apply. This is Giuliana di Franco’s suggestion, in order to give the right value to a jewel.
Moods and feelings are fine, but are they reminiscent of the object as such? An object which has been artistically crafted? If yes, then it is a pleasure to wear a jewel.
Metamorphosis
Beyond the form.
The object is immortalised as in a picture frame
Plants, animals, human beings.
They are the protagonists of countless transformations Sono i protagonisti di innumerevoli trasformazioni of ancient charm.
The collection Metamorphosis is inspired by the concept of transformation.
The designer gives shape not so much to an itinerant process, but rather to final result of the evolution.
The change in structure and vision inevitably entails a considerable synthesis in creativity and invention.
This is attainable only through technical skills and the knowledge of the creation. Thus ‘Metamorphosis’ also becomes symbiosis: A jewel masterfully created.
The word, besides giving its name to the collection, best expresses the designer’s creative flair and her relation with the Island, which is an endless source of inspiration.
«Sicily is a continent which is undergoing a metamorphosis. A strong and unique land. Its historical, cultural and natural heritage has no equal. I relate to all this on a regular basis. I see myself in it, I make new discoveries, I experiment».
Giuliana di Franco’s multifaceted vision is in a constant state of flux.
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