A very special designer

Massimiliano Bonoli. The jewel is his daily subject, creating beauty to be worn is his chosen vocation in life. The Forlì designer creates jewelry by following a philosophy of his very own. He has developed a very personal way of doing his job as well as a signature style setting him apart in the luxury sector in which he has years of experience ·

Words Marco Cresci

In his vision, contemporary jewelery comes to life in a fourth dimension, which goes beyond the traditional parameters of aesthetics and preciousness and enhances purely emotional values, as

Massimo Bonoli

well as being wearable, lightweight and sophisticatedly playful. His pieces, resulting from research of an almost engineering nature, are appreciated all over the world and various brands of international importance in the luxury goldsmith sector have called upon him to design their collections.

How did you discover the jewelry world?

I grew up in it as my mother was the owner of a jewelry store. As a child I spent a lot of time with her there and this transmitted her passion for jewelry to me, both ancient and contemporary, and the rest came by itself.

Your vision of jewelery includes the study of a fourth dimension, can you explain this concept and how you apply it in your creations?

My intent is to overcome the canonical three-dimensionality of an object; The fourth dimension is to try to make jewels that exceed structural constraints allowing me to design jewelry that perform particular movements and unique deformations which adapt to the body, this is my fourth dimension.

You are a big fan of chess and love to apply this discipline to your work as a designer, what do you think is the meeting point between these two worlds?

There are several similarities between the chess world and that of design.  Chess may be viewed simply as a game, but philosophically speaking it can represent life, a desire to construct.  It could represent defense and attack, and even tactical strategies which for me are comparable to the painstaking work of research and thought which is at the base of every project, or dream. The pawns with their moves are the steps needed to bring it to fruition, in order to create something unique.

Your creations are not just jewelry, they are sculptures.  The result of elaborate engineering, I refer to the collections Pavone and Iguana; it is as if you were always trying to challenge yourself, is that so?

Absolutely, I am always looking for a new challenge and pushing the boundaries, opting for bold solutions which, however, allow me to reach my goal. Mechanicality and the pursuit for new technologies are necessary for me to achieve goals such as a flawless fit, a unique sparkle, a particular adherence to the body.  For me, technology is wonderful when it cannot be seen.

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Your collection Invisible Cut is breathtaking, how did you manage to join various gemstones in the creation of a unique and seamless piece of jewelry?

The challenge in this case was founded on contrary, I wanted to overturn the boundaries of  design. A jewel comes to life when beautiful gems are present and around them it is necessary to build architectural, structural and decorative elements that enhance them. In this case I designed the unique gems which support the jewel itself without any problems of size, I didn’t start from the raw materials, and I didn’t want size constraints.  I invented the raw material with sizes, colors and shapes, distorting in a sense the concept of the nature of a jewel.

What do you believe has been your biggest successful challenge within the field of design?

If I could answer that question I’d probably be retired by now, so I’d say that my biggest challenge is yet to come.

BIO. The artistic career of Maximilian Bonoli is studded with awards. In 2008 he won the award for “Best young Italian designer” at AIJ Italian Jewellery Awards, in 2010 he was nominated “Italian Jewellery Designer of the Year” at the UK Jewellery Awards in London, in 2011 the special project “Invisible Cut” was included in the ‘ADI Design Index of the 22nd Compasso d’Oro (2012) and his creations were selected for the “Andrea Palladio International Jewelry Award”, the Oscars of jewelry organized by Fiera di Vicenza, in the category of Best Jewelry Brand Collection.

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