Jewelry, is the art of ornamental adornment of the body and nowhere on earth can you find more dedication to the heart and soul of the jewelry design than in Italy. While many countries produce jewelry, few can compare to the rich history of Italy and the passion that Italian people have for beautiful design. In times past, jewelry was used to represent a person’s rank in society, community affiliation or as a sign of the person’s religious choice. This tradition began thousands of years ago in southern Italy, the Etruscans created gold jewelry that has never found an equal.
While gold is ever popular, more Italian jewelry designers are turning to sterling silver to express their creativity, such as Stefani Argento, who manufactures beautiful designs exclusively in .925 sterling silver. In Valenza, the famous Italian city which is the undisputed world leader in jewelry designed with precious stones, you will find them combined in remarkable designs in silver.
Because of its high quality, the sterling silver jewelry of Italian designers is in high demand throughout the world. In fact, Italy is the power center of the European jewelry industry, with silver and gold articles covering 70% of the total production. Each year in Italy 500 tons of fine gold, 1400 of silver and 4 of platinum are processed. There are over 10,000 companies operating in jewelry industry, employing 40,000 people for production.
Italy's history of fine jewelry design and craftsmanship continues today in both classical and contemporary styles. While gold designs are prized for their delicate artistry, in sterling silver the trend is oversized. Today's silver jewelry piece does not go unnoticed, the styles vary from sharp, angular shapes with alternating softer, rounder ones. And the Italian designers are working with many different types of elements, mixing and matching to create unusual results. They are taking sterling silver and combining it with natural, semiprecious stones such as agate, mother-of-pearl, onyx, pink quartz and various shades of rhodonite, as well as transparent plexiglass and the diaphanous, elegant reflections of pearls. The "au natural" designs combine wood with silver. Whether it is geometric, romantic, eclectic or unisex, Italian designers like Giuseppe Zantomio, Monica Traquandi and Pianegonda are taking sterling silver to new heights.
Where to Find Italian Designer Sterling Silver Jewelry
The jewelry-making districts of Italy are legend. You will find many top quality Italian designers with sterling silver jewelry showrooms in Arezzo and Vincenza. In addition, there are many manufacturers offering sterling silver and gold designs in these regions: Veneto (Venice), Toscana (Tuscany), Piedmont, Lombardy and Campania.
The designs you will find produced by these craftsmen honor the long history and tradition high quality of Italian silver jewelry. Italy designers are world renowned as the world leader in jewelry production because of their outstanding technical skills, which accounts for the abundance of jewelry schools in most of the cities of Italy, which hosts thousands of jewelry students from all over the world.