Italian goldsmith, Giovanni Corvaja's fascination for metal, especially the precious ones, began in his childhood. Today this incredible artisan shows off his affinity for metal through his outstanding work. He has devoted 10 years of research and 2 years of studio time to his unique pieces aptly called the Golden Fleece Collection. The technique he developed involves drawing wire down to an increasingly finer thread which profoundly alters the properties of gold. The super fine gold wires become softer and smooth to the touch, rather like fur.
The super fine "furry" bracelet above was the 4th one made in his collection. It consists of a hollow perforated torus with 12,672 holes and over 1.2 million single wires (28 km of wire in total). The inner surface is covered with 4,000 platinum granules arranged in a hexagonal grid. This piece took him 1,250 hours to complete!
How fine is fine? The diameter of human hair ranges anywhere from 17 to 181 microns (millionths of a meter). Giovanni draws down gold wire to less than 10 microns. And he does it all by hand as you can see from his workshop pictures.
No wonder he named his collection the Golden Fleece after the Greek myth where Jason and the Argonauts aquired it from a gold haired winged ram.
What he does with extremely fine gold wire is nothing short of amazing!
He is now located in Todi, a historic Etruscan town. How fitting is that? The Ancient Etruscans were fabulous goldsmiths. He restored a 15th century building and transformed it into a spacious and fully equipped workshop where he also gives intensive workshops in either English or Italian.
Giovanni's work has been exhibited internationally and his pieces are in numerous museum collections worldwide including the V&A Musuem of Art and Design in London, UK, the National Gallery in Australia and the Newark Museum in the US.
A golden hankerchief!!
A golden container!
His work can be purchased through Adrian Sasson.
Before You Go:
Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips
The super fine "furry" bracelet above was the 4th one made in his collection. It consists of a hollow perforated torus with 12,672 holes and over 1.2 million single wires (28 km of wire in total). The inner surface is covered with 4,000 platinum granules arranged in a hexagonal grid. This piece took him 1,250 hours to complete!
How fine is fine? The diameter of human hair ranges anywhere from 17 to 181 microns (millionths of a meter). Giovanni draws down gold wire to less than 10 microns. And he does it all by hand as you can see from his workshop pictures.
No wonder he named his collection the Golden Fleece after the Greek myth where Jason and the Argonauts aquired it from a gold haired winged ram.
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| Bracelet - Gold with black enamel |
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| Bracelet detail |
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| Gold Pentagonal Brooch |
A golden hankerchief!!
A golden container!
His work can be purchased through Adrian Sasson.
Before You Go:
- Victorian Fashionistas and their Etruscan-Style Jewelry
- Book Review - Metallic Seed Bead Splendor
- Saharan Refugees Recycle Plastic Bottles for Faux Gold Jewelry
Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips
Great article for people who think there's nothing new to be done with jewellery; that everything has been done before!
ReplyDeleteHe workshop must get warm at times, because he certainly wouldn't want fans in it, would he?
OMG!! Absolutely blows my mind. Never seen anything like it - intriquing and beautiful. I must say that he has a lot more patience that I. I'm in awe.
ReplyDeleteWayne
Good point about fans!
ReplyDeleteYes, his work is certainly mind blowing!!
I went and had a look at what he had for sale at Adrian Sassoon's.
ReplyDeleteThe Pentagonal Brooch is valued at just a bit above $52,000.00.
The other items the prices were available upon request. That old saying- if you have to ask you probably can't afford it really rings true here!
And does with the brooch as well I might add.
Still - the man deserves every single penny of it.
Artisans who have reached that peak of craftsmanship deserve to charge that for their work I think. Not only for the medium in which they work but also for their talent and the simple awe they inspire with their finished product.
Good for him!!
I absolutely agree with what you say, aims. He is an extraordinary goldsmith.
ReplyDelete