Museo del Gioiello: the Beauty by Patrizia di Carrobio

A wunderkammer where knowledge and experience, emotions and memories converge but which also evokes a desire for play and, why not, an expectation of happiness. The “Beauty Room” at Vicenza’s Jewelry Museum, opened last December under the curatorship of Patrizia di Carrobio, Diamond and Jewels Merchant, expert in gems, pearls and antique jewelry, lover of costume jewelry and writer, whose past includes a stint as the first female auctioneer at Christie’s. Starting with her own personal vision of jewelry, the curator has gone so far as to trace a layout that borders on universal, where beauty has a relative and subjective sense while still possessing a precise function. «Having to select forty items, I decided to select the object itself rather than refer to the designer or era. I wanted to highlight those pieces that can evoke pleasure, surprise and even a smile from the person looking at it. In short, those items that amuse and metaphorically urge visitors to give free rein to their imagination so that they can interact and play with mine», Patrizia explains as she says the she favored «earrings because they are playful, even though we unfortunately can’t see them ourselves when we wear them, and brooches, which have a glorious past and are now coming back into fashion, to be worn randomly and unconventionally, on the hem of a dress, on shoes, on bags and even in the hair, for example.» There is a lot of Patrizia in the”Beauty Room”, her family and professional history. After having lived in Brussels, Rome, Milan and London, her home is now New York, even if her heart often brings her to Italy and Sicily, where her mother was born, and where, at every visit, she immediately rediscovers the link with beauty through jewelry which, «in general, but more so if it belongs to family heritage, must be experienced, worn, enjoyed, looked at, admired with joy and light-heartedness every day, because its prerogative is to make us look more beautiful, attractive and bright.» And also donate a multi-sensorial satisfaction, the same, we might say, as a diamond engagement ring. «A tradition that is now making a comeback in both the United States and Europe, especially among the younger generations who, regardless of the commercial value, see the diamond as an “emotional” symbol indissolubly linked to the idea of love», Patrizia di Carrobio points out. And to conclude: «My suggestion is to dare in order to always find different ways to wear jewelry, whether designer branded or not, whether antique or modern, it makes no difference. Feeling good is what really counts.»