The New Collection of Jewelry Sculptures by Giovanni Raspini
"Superstones. Jewelry from the Heart of the Earth" is the latest exhibition of unique items by the Tuscan designer. From 7th to 9th at Palazzo Colonna in Rome
Giovanni Raspini and the forgotten stones: another possible title for the Tuscan jewelry designer’s latest exhibition which, after the exploit in the fascinating setting of the Fonderia Napoleonica in Milan, can be seen in Rome in the Coffee House at Palazzo Colonna from 7th to 9th June. A few days in which to exhibit a collection of 30 unique pieces that will then leave for Palazzo dei Topi d'Argento, a historic residence in Monte San Savino in the heart of Arezzo's gold district, home of the histrionic entrepreneur's atelier and, we might say, “museum-house” of all previous collections of one-of-a-kind pieces. “Superstones. Jewellery from the Heart of the Earth” features the use of natural stones and minerals of all kinds set in silver and gilded bronze to generate jewelry with shapes and sizes that are anything but banal: dragons that cling to arms, cascades of amethyst flowers adorning the neck, rock crystal pinnacles rising from the head in the manner of a tiara, tropical fish with enamel scales hiding among baroque pearls and anemone-like mineral fragments. There is no limit to the imagination of Giovanni Raspini and his skilled craftsmen, who have once again gone beyond the idea of formal jewelry to create thirty innovational wearable sculptures. The recurring theme revolves around poor raw materials that are widespread in the subsoil but rare in goldsmiths' workshops - for example, malachite, azurite, chalcedony - which have been given the importance and aesthetic value of authentic precious stones.
«I had been thinking about “Superstones” for a long time,» Giovanni Raspini reveals, «with the crazy idea of replacing the usual gems in my creations of unique pieces with minerals and stones such as shiny crystals, minerals with phantasmagorical colors, sizes and shapes, rare stones, materials unknown to most people as well as corals and baroque pearls. I thus discovered a fascinating and mysterious world from which to create absolutely unconventional jewelry in terms of style, richness and size. “Superstones” is a major challenge because the decoration and structure of the jewelry itself takes into account, and is in perfect stylistic harmony, with the stones used, which become true narrative fragments. With enormous passion we searched for minerals from all over the world that were beautiful, rare and fascinating. Of course, just like the brand's other exhibitions, “Superstones” is also a great collective work, which I conceived but achieved with the conceptual and artistic contribution of high-level collaborators.»
In the study phase, collaboration was also extended to experts outside the sector, including Giovanni Pratesi, a geologist and scientific popularizer of international renown, which made it possible to enhance the characteristics of each mineral in the best possible way.
«I had been thinking about “Superstones” for a long time,» Giovanni Raspini reveals, «with the crazy idea of replacing the usual gems in my creations of unique pieces with minerals and stones such as shiny crystals, minerals with phantasmagorical colors, sizes and shapes, rare stones, materials unknown to most people as well as corals and baroque pearls. I thus discovered a fascinating and mysterious world from which to create absolutely unconventional jewelry in terms of style, richness and size. “Superstones” is a major challenge because the decoration and structure of the jewelry itself takes into account, and is in perfect stylistic harmony, with the stones used, which become true narrative fragments. With enormous passion we searched for minerals from all over the world that were beautiful, rare and fascinating. Of course, just like the brand's other exhibitions, “Superstones” is also a great collective work, which I conceived but achieved with the conceptual and artistic contribution of high-level collaborators.»
In the study phase, collaboration was also extended to experts outside the sector, including Giovanni Pratesi, a geologist and scientific popularizer of international renown, which made it possible to enhance the characteristics of each mineral in the best possible way.
