A master of using the fire enamelling technique of miniature painting to create portraits, illustrations and the reproduction of downsized ancient art pieces, Gabriella Rivalta has applied the technique to jewellery creation. Inspired by dreams, imaginations and the love for nature, her extraordinary designs are the result of artistic influences and extensive practice.
Based in Italy, this founder and designer’s namesake brand Gabriella Rivalta has obtained over 45 years of experience of making enamel jewellery in gold, insisting on painting and crafting each piece with skilful hands, refined techniques, good tastes and cultural heritage.
“We try to communicate our passion and love through our jewellery. It is really a treasure to have such a long history and capability to paint each jewel,” said Roberto Spinoglio, second generation and CEO of the family business.
Working with a creative team of designers and artists, Gabriella Rivalta provides directions of jewellery making based on her design inspirations and guidelines, which contributes to the distinctive style of every single piece of jewellery. Stars, planets, trees, flowers, branches, gardens, fairy-tale castles, palaces, carriages, and even elements from the Aladdin lamp and One Thousand and One Nights short stories are inspirations for her whimsical creations.
Gabriella Rivalta always imparts the colour variation of her enamelled miniature jewellery, the harmonious contrast between the metal and enamel, and the divergence and harmony of different elements to the wearers, according to Roberto Spinoglio.
Finished enamel jewellery looks vivid with various shades and colours; however, the making process is extremely challenging. Spinoglio revealed that the fire-enamelling technique is highly sophisticated. Every layer is handled in the oven under high temperature of over 800℃ in order to steady the painting. The enamel will easily be broken if the designer does not know the proper use of gold as a supportive base.
“Designing a new collection normally takes months to do a number of trials and research. The first five or six trials are usually in vain, so we have to redesign and correct the mistakes,” he noted, despite of the company’s rich experience in the field.
Spinoglio told Hong Kong Jewellery that the painting process begins with the first layer of white enamel which is like a sheet of paper waiting for new creation. Generally, there are 20 to 25 layers for a piece of medium-sized floral-motif jewellery. The final layer is transparent, which protects the enamel and adds lustre to the piece. After the enamel painting and firing procedures are done, diamonds, pearls, corals or precious stones will be set.
The brand has gained a solid grounding in the Italian market with over 300 customers including retailers and other jewellery brands. Apart from the first overseas market Japan, China and Singapore are the two Asian markets they recently ventured into. Spinoglio stated that the most important criterion of choosing the right partners is that they should understand the art Gabriella Rivalta puts into each jewel, and what it represents.
To stabilise the Italian market and tackle with the stagnant economy, Roberto Spinoglio said that they hope to find a new way to grow its customer base, and will launch a new mid-priced collection with more enamel and less gold targeting middle-class consumers.
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