Exclusive Interview : Meet “Gabriela Rigamonti” Italian Luxury Jewelry Designer. #Luxury #Jewelry #Womenfashion #fashion
Gabriela Rigamonti jewels is the new luxury, authentic and unconventional. A style that expresses new forms of elegance, presenting itself as a modern classicism, based on superior handcrafting techniques and creativity. Gabriela Rigamonti is known worldwide for creating handcrafted jewellery 100% made in Vicenza, Italy. Luxury for extra-ordinary people.
OTSM- Tell us about yourself, including your career and how you got there.
GR- “I’m a jewellery designer and my passion is to create timeless jewelry.
I’m Italian, however I am multi-ethnic.
My multi-ethnicity has allowed me to live in different countries like USA,Spain,Mexico and of course Italy. Regarding my career,often I think designing is in my blood. For example, when I was a child I enjoyed wearing many accessories as much as possible. Wanting to have and wear different accessories I signed up for a metalwork class, after intensive training I learned the basics on how to transform different metals such as copper and brass.
At 11 years old I entered my first metalwork competition and won. Soon after I was wearing accessories that I had designed and created that eventually my classmates began asking me if they could buy my jewelry.During my studies, my aspiration led me to move to Vicenza (called the city of gold because there is an ancient tradition of gold processing), where I currently live.In this city I worked as sales export manager and designer for many jewelry companies until I decided to open my own workshop in 2000; where I started to design and make my gold jewels and create a mixture of contemporary, luxurious and elegant pieces. I’m a determined and definite person overall, but more so during the creative process of my job where I’m a meticulous person with my designs and creations”,
I’m Italian, however I am multi-ethnic.
My multi-ethnicity has allowed me to live in different countries like USA,Spain,Mexico and of course Italy. Regarding my career,often I think designing is in my blood. For example, when I was a child I enjoyed wearing many accessories as much as possible. Wanting to have and wear different accessories I signed up for a metalwork class, after intensive training I learned the basics on how to transform different metals such as copper and brass.
At 11 years old I entered my first metalwork competition and won. Soon after I was wearing accessories that I had designed and created that eventually my classmates began asking me if they could buy my jewelry.During my studies, my aspiration led me to move to Vicenza (called the city of gold because there is an ancient tradition of gold processing), where I currently live.In this city I worked as sales export manager and designer for many jewelry companies until I decided to open my own workshop in 2000; where I started to design and make my gold jewels and create a mixture of contemporary, luxurious and elegant pieces. I’m a determined and definite person overall, but more so during the creative process of my job where I’m a meticulous person with my designs and creations”,
OTSM- Tell us about your design style. What makes your collections unique in the industry?
GR– “My collections have my brand’s hallmarks. My style expresses new forms of elegance, presenting itself as a modern classicism, based on superior handcrafting techniques and creativity,each piece by Gabriela Rigamonti Brand is the result of a thorough process, a journey among different cultures and multi-ethnical influences, through the world of nature, between echoes of the past and future projections. The capability to transfer the most varied experiences, dreams and perspectives into the jewels, characterizes the brand’s collections with an unmistakable mark of identity and uniqueness”.
OTSM- As a designer, where do you draw your inspiration from?
GR– “I find inspiration everywhere, the many experiences traveling and lived in many parts of world has helped my creativity. For example, traveling has allowed me the opportunity to interact with many women in many countries, and as a result, I am be able to experience their culture, art, religion, and even food at the same time… Every time they express to me something new. For which I try to incorporate into all my jewelry and capture the essence of women”.
OTSM- What are upcoming trends in the jewelry design industry and what category does your design fall into?
GR– “Well I have three upcoming macro-trends, which will then morph into sub-trends.
1)*Structural jewelry is being cool.. realized with 3D or twisted like individuality,it is a self-expression where killer details make all the difference in jewelry.Even your great obsession with liberal arts has never allowed you to vote for geometry, falling for pretty materialization of geometric shapes on jewelry pieces is more than feasible now.
1)*Structural jewelry is being cool.. realized with 3D or twisted like individuality,it is a self-expression where killer details make all the difference in jewelry.Even your great obsession with liberal arts has never allowed you to vote for geometry, falling for pretty materialization of geometric shapes on jewelry pieces is more than feasible now.
2)* The future – retro jewelry, where the steam punk, astrology and Greek mythology are mixed producing rebel jewelry to match. Futurist and retro at the same time,lucky charms and protective symbols were layered with keys and fetish objects for a live now, die later attitude that smacked of Bohemianism.
3)*Opulence-baroque: where jewelry is a natural evolution of a lifestyle and culture that has become an aesthetic and belief. A re-discovery of local folklore and culture is stronger than ever, an appreciation of the hand-crafted, artisanal is an inspirational for many designers.
It is very difficult to categorize my jewerly into one design. But, I would say, that my jewerly design can be a combination of two categories, such as the structural jewelry and the opulence-baroque collection. The Structural jewerly because of my addiction to fashion, and the Opulence-Baroque because of my muli-ethnicity and passion for traveling.
OTSM- What are your latest and upcoming projects?
GR-My latest project was to open an office in Singapore to create a distribution network in Asia and as for the upcoming projects – let me first get them.
Supporting the next generation of designers: Gabriela Rigamonti collaborates with schools (Scuola d’Arte e Mestieri of Vicenza) teaching design and craft jewellery techniques since 2014.
OTSM- What advice would you give to someone interested in getting into the jewelry design business?
GR– “In the jewelry business there is no place for improvisation. So the first advise I would give someone interested in this business is to study. A jewelry designer must master the basics in design such as crafting and creating precise jewelry. This basic skill is attained through education and creating jewerly with one’s own hands.Many students have sat at the workbench and they make a lot of mistakes that at a minimum just complicate the production process; you can not say you’re are a designer if you are not able to realize for yourself following the jewelry steps: Idea,draw,hand-craft, mold metals or using sophisticated technologies like 3D cad, laser machines and finally house production”.
OTSM- I am aware you teach and impact the great knowledge of jewelry design to students,what is this like?
GR– “As a mentor to students I teach them the secrets to create amazing gold jewelry after their beautiful designs. My philosophy emphasizes the importance of hands-on opportunities for students to spend time creating jewelry pieces under my supervision. As a mentor, I allow students the time to visually craft jewelry designs and then manually create timeless, jewelry pieces under my mentorship.
I enjoy the many opportunities to mentor students and to see the results of their ideas, that I happily donate my time to help students achieve success in the fashion and jewelry design industry”.
I enjoy the many opportunities to mentor students and to see the results of their ideas, that I happily donate my time to help students achieve success in the fashion and jewelry design industry”.
OTSM- What are your favorite Hobbies when you are not working?
GR– “My favorite hobbies outside of work involve diving into different worlds so I read many book. I also enjoy visiting museums, listening to music and distressing by exercising.
OTSM– What are your favorite materials to work with?
GR- “I enjoy working with Gold, wood and leather”.
OTSM-Who or what is your biggest inspiration?
GR– “Women”.
Do not copy, save, download or use any image in this post without my express written permission.
0 comments