Alessio Boschi hasn’t lived in Italy in over 24 years. He grabs hold of any opportunity that reminds him of his roots and hence, for him, participating in Vicenzaoro is a no-brainer. “It’s my chance to come back home. The fair is becoming more elegant and interesting every year, they are doing it in the right way by promoting it well, professionally and by fulfilling the gaps that weren’t met by the previous management of the Basel Fair, especially when it comes to flexibility and servicing the exhibitors and also by charging them correctly,” he says. When I met him there, he was a busy man. He was kind enough, though, to show me a masterpiece, a Persian inspired turquoise ring, with a 10ct carved emerald center that magically unfolds into a string of 7 enameled carpets when opened. Each carpet has a different engraving and design matching each of the seven provinces and their distinctive aesthetic. I was awestruck at once. We couldn’t really talk beyond that at the show but as promised, he spoke to me over Skype, on returning to Bangkok, after having attended a rather productive September Fair in Hong Kong, where he also won an award for his Leonidas man set, crafted in silver, set diamond chains in antique style with inserts in 18kt rose gold and Tahitian keshis and circled pearls.
Alessio is a self-confessed maverick, not just when it comes to his designs but also socially. “Hong Kong was great. I bought some exceptional pearls, which are very rare, especially a purplish one from a scallop called Lion’s Paw pearl. But for me, fairs are not working like they used to. The traditional way of approaching customers is changing dramatically,” he says. Alessio is also very circumspect about media and reportage nowadays. “I don’t really trust what is being said and spread by the media these days. In the industry there is a misunderstanding that lab created diamonds are sustainable and this is the biggest lie to please and hide the interests of companies backing this product, and these companies are at the same time manufacturing testing machineries to detect these synthetic diamonds, which are created by using chemicals in high temperature physical conditions in their labs, both of which are much more hazardous than excavating natural diamonds from the mines. There is an underground movement which is not transparent, for example, jewellery or fashion bloggers are supposed to promote and enlighten us about the so called “trends” are in reality just serving their customers and brands, which are paying them to be more visible in the market. Another big example is what’s happening between HK and China, which has being manipulated by some other countries, let’s just leave it at that,” he says.
Originally from Rome, Alessio has lived and worked in Italy, Greece, France and Australia, before he moved to Bangkok. His eponymous brand has become well known for its highly detailed, intricately engineered pieces of jewellery in a span of six years. Being in Bangkok, Alessio is part of a culture that is diametrically opposite to Italian. “The Thai people are very shy, they are not very demanding and certainly not confrontational, and Italians on the other hand are too curious, intensely passionate and very opinionated. They want to interfere in everything. I miss Italy now more than before. Despite how much I like Thailand and the humble attitude of Thai people, I really miss the animated way of communication by the Europeans, in particular the Italians, with whom I feel more familiar.” So he visits his home in Italy that he bought in a medieval village a few years ago to unwind, which he says has become increasingly important for his wellbeing. It is situated in a fairytale village called Bagnoregio, two hours north from Rome near Tuscany, where he creatively recharges himself after running for months to attend shows and events in various cities worldwide.
Alessio wants everything to be perfect – if you have one good look at his jewels, you’ll understand why. “I am very nervous when I work and when something is not perfect, it drives me insane. It is not easy to be around me at that time. I admit that I am challenging but I want to pursue excellence and only with this aim and with this dream, I can get good results.”Alessio always wanted to go to art school but his mother told him to get his fundamentals in place first. “I thank my mother for that because when I later joined art, I realised I was able to grasp things quicker than the others.” Later, when he decided first to apply to a fashion school, his friends intervened. “They asked me why I am choosing fashion when I stop at every single jewellery store in Rome.” Within a matter of weeks, he bought books and magazines on jewellery and something inside him changed, there was an inner discovery. So, he decided to shift from fashion to jewellery. Alessio is a man of pride, rightfully so – he takes pride in his heritage, in his designs and he admits that he has always been good at what he does, right from his college days. Most people in his ranks are not modest. But when he talks about jewellery or how good he is at making them, you don’t get the sense that he’s being conceited, but you do realise that jewellery is something this man was born to do. When he was seven years old his mother took him to Greece on a holiday. He was at a museum in Athens and witnessed Philip’s treasure, Alexander the Great’s father jewellery. “My mom told me she couldn’t pull me away from the glass cases. That was when I fell in love with the sparkle of gold, the engravings and all the beautiful carvings. My forefathers were painters and architects during the 17th century and more than religion and politics, I believe in reincarnation and energies.... so, I think something is still there running in my blood and in my DNA!”
His brand has come to be known for its jewels that are conversational pieces, theatrical and unconventional in their demeanour. But Alessio hates the word brand. “I am so tired of this word. Everybody is a brand now. Everything is a brand now. I wish there was a word that was less pretentious. I am not pretentious and I never want to be so. We need to change this perception that artists and creative people are or could be pretentious or are justified to have a bad and sometime unbearable behavior just because they are creating something. On the contrary, I think that “humility” is the key of success. A brand also means being structural and everything about structure and rigid politics and hierarchy scares me.” Alessio likes to use the word “precious journey” instead of brand, which he claims is whimsical. “Of course I care whether people buy my jewellery or not, but I want them to remember me and my creations for something. I want to create that emotional connection between audience and my pieces, an unspoken subtle liaison, an invisible dialogue which will remain cemented in people’s soul and memory.”
The usage of colours is very important to Alessio. In his previous experiences in Australia, he was in charge of coming out with collections by using gemstones that would enhance the multiple hues of pearls in shades ranging from champagne to golden, silvery blue or pinkish tones and Tahitian pearls that come in pitch black to peacock, aubergine, reddish and greenish hues. “I believe colour is everything in life. It is passion – you don’t have the same mood in the afternoon that you experience in the evening.” Movement is also an integral part of Alessio’s jewellery and the ergonomic quality lends his pieces a more high-end appeal. “The movement of the jewellery follows the movement of the body. They become timeless and the stones are inclined to sparkle more with movement.” You can’t take the Roman out of Alessio and hidden elements that are bound to surprise the onlooker are one of his signature techniques. “It’s in my blood. You walk through a tiny street in Rome and you end up in a grand piazza, everything built during the Baroque period was so dramatic.” And for him it is the ludic characteristic of jewellery that is most interesting, which is why he makes some of them multifunctional. “A woman needs to play with her jewellery. She needs to be amused, she needs to interact with her precious jewels. She needs to wear the surprise and enjoy herself.”
Every piece is a story and the story is the soul of his pieces. In one of his earlier works, ‘Homage to Renaissance’ he narrates the story of Florence, the birthplace of Renaissance by demonstrating astounding micro-mosaic technique with a smattering of pearls and rubellites. The strands of pearls and rubellite beads feature a locket with a micro-mosaic painting of Duomo di Firenze (Cathedral of Florence) and Caterina de’ Medici. The earrings are a pair of lockets and when opened, they unleash a micro-mosaic painting of Michelangelo’s David on one side and the Coat of Arms of Florence on the other. This obsession, to create pieces with painstaking artistry is very characteristic of Italian creations. “We are at the centre of the Mediterranean. Our DNA is mixed – we have Spanish, Greek, German, French, English, Slavic, Arab, Persian and Phoenician and so many other genes in our DNA. If you know a little bit of anthropology, you will understand that when so many cultures come together, amazing things happen. This is why we love studying details so astutely.”
|His love affair with Persia is also something that is evident in his pieces and the next one will be a book in the form of a ring. The cover of the book is created by one of the biggest engravers in Italy, Massimiliano, who works for a luxury maison and is well known for his signature “Ramage” technique. The ring will be finished by an Armenian manufacturer who Alessio claims is a genius goldsmith. He is also working with a Venetian family to create a series of miniature princesses painted and enameled, which in turn will go inside the pages of a locked hidden book. The holding of this book with a little tassel of seed pearls is done by an Indian company in Jaipur known for its meena technique of inlayed flakes of rubies. The turquoise for the book is sourced from the best mines of Iran and the mother of pearl from Australian shells. “This is the most interesting part of what I do. I use the best craftsmanship and artists from all over the world.feel like an orchestra director, coordinating my creativity and know how with these craftsmen to create a beautiful symphony.” Alessio believes in the whole, in his team, in the coming together of creativity. It will take almost six months for Alessio to finish making this book ring and at any given time, he works with almost 30 craftsmen. “Now, I am working with a young and talented Persian designer Shayan and a great teacher and model maker Bahman, to create a ring about the fascinating philosophy behind Sufi, and it will fit perfectly in my collection. I also feel the responsibility to pass my knowledge to new generations and to help those young and talented people to start their own journey.” While Alessio is working on other pieces of the Seven Princesses collection, he wants to create pieces that are more artistic, complicated and challenging. How can his jewellery possibly be more of all those things? I really can’t wait to find out.
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