Jewelry making is an art, Giulia Tamburini knows it well.
Soon after discovering her passion for goldsmithing, she run to the school of goldsmiths in Florence and then kept learning working at the Anaconda jewelry store in Milan.
In 2010 she launched her own brand. Since 2020, her brother Francesco is helping in the business.
Let’s have a chat with these guys!
Hi Giulia and hi Francesco, it is a pleasure to chat with you. How would you describe Giulia Tamburini jewels in a few words?
Among files, burins and cutters, in our goldsmith workshop you will find whales turned into gold, tourmaline rainbows mounted in rosaries and gems and silver twigs. For twelve years we have been making jewels entirely by hand, continuing the techniques of Florentine goldsmith craftsmanship.
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Giulia, what inspires your creations? Tell us a little about your creative process from conception to realization. What is the part you like the most?
A photo, a painting, a door knocker, the shape of a leaf: everything around me can be a source of inspiration, or the starting point for a new jewel.
The next steps are sketches and prototyping.
Depending on the type of jewel, I evaluate the type of technique to use, which are mainly two: The lost wax casting technique, which begins by sculpting the wax, before making the plaster cast where the metal is melted. Or another way is to work the metal directly, which is melted and transformed into thin wires and plates, then modeled, welded, perforated or engraved.
My favorite part of all this process is when I see that an inspiration is successfully turning into a concrete project, when the jewel takes the exact shape I had in mind.
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We love the collection with postcards designed by Ettore Tripodi! How did you meet and how did your collaboration start?
Before moving to the new atelier-workshop in Viale Piave 5 in Milano, I shared a space with other artists for many years. They were working in very different fields: from photography, painting, stop motion videos to woodworking.
Among these, there was a friend Ettore Tripodi, artist and co-founder of the Mammafotogramma creative agency; with him we gave life to the project of “jewel postcards”, where jewels come to life in drawings, creating a magical and slightly naïve world, where creativity and imagination reign.
Thus, the postcard is part of the packaging and can be used to leave a message. Each tells a small story, where the jewel plays a big role: for example a drawing of a flock of birds in which three small silver swallows can be distinguished.
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Tell us in detail about one of your favorite jewels. How was it born? Why are you particularly fond of it?
I don’t really have a favorite, I like new technical challenges so I tend to experiment with very different pieces.
If I have to choose, I’d say I have two favorites:
The first is the Petra necklace, which is part of the collection of tracery called Roma, inspired by the patterns of the Middle Eastern arts. It is one of the first collections I made, that accompanies me for many years and continues to be highly appreciated.
The second is the Giona necklace, a small pendant-mounted whale. I have always felt connected to this animal, which is also present in our logo. It was not easy to transform such a large and bulky animal into a harmonic jewel, perhaps this is why it is one of my favorite pieces!
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Francesco, what are the differences between handmade jewels and industrial jewels? Is it difficult to communicate it to people?
Well, there is a big difference between a computer-designed, machine-made jewel and one designed and created by hand: the first doesn’t have a manual imprint, therefore is more precise, but also aseptic and industrial.
A handcrafted jewel is unique, with a story, is a living object that can bound with the wearer.
Actually one of the reasons for creating an open workshop inside the atelier was to allow our customers to see where and how the jewels take shape.
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Craftsmanship also allows for customization that is in great demand today, which is difficult to offer for those who produce industrially.
You know, in terms of communication the challenge is precisely tell what it means to buy a jewel conceived, designed and made entirely by hand, even to those who cannot come and visit us in person.
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