Out of all the jewellery which has made Giampiero Bodino famous, it is ring design which gives him the most pleasure. He recently presented four brand new models as part of Paris Fashion Week.
Symbolising power and eternal love, the rings are both pieces of jewellery and amulets, lending grace and elegance to the fingers, which is precisely the effect Giampiero Bodino’s jewellery has. Of his particular interest in this kind of jewellery, the designer says: “A ring is the only piece of jewellery you do not need a mirror to look at. I love rings because people usually buy them for themselves and they become a part of them.” I remember the first time I met Giampiero Bodino – I could not help but notice the huge diamond gold ring he was wearing. “A very personal object,” he told me. “I wear it almost every day. It keeps me company and I like playing with it!”
Giampiero brings his own ideas, experience, imagination and potential to his work. His aesthetic and cultural influences are cleverly concealed: he never wears them on his sleeve; rather they hide beneath the surface, underpinning the endless creativity on display. His expressive style spills through into bold, sculptural, unpredictable and unexpected forms, such as the Treasure Chest ring featuring a 12.89 carat emerald cabochon set on a shin sparkling with diamonds.
Nature and art form the basis of inspiration for the shapes he creates and the culture he references, anything from incredible works of architecture to Italian style. By weaving Renaissance design into the 17.59 carat ruby ring, he creates a trompe l’oeil which makes the stone seem like it is hanging in the air: the piece seems simultaneously weighty and weightless.
In his designs, Giampiero Bodino examines the dichotomy between imagination and experience, between the reality and a dream, something clearly expressed in the Chimera diamond ring featuring a mythical beast. The Primavera ring, on the other hand, is not the fruit of fantasy; rather it is a perfect recreation of a blossom in jewellery form. A blooming bud from sapphires and white and yellow diamonds appears as alive and true to life as real apple blossom.
Giampiero Bodino only creates originals, primarily working for private clients. He strives to create unique, individual designs born from any tie he can find between art and the person who is asking for the design. He simultaneously comes up with a theme, chooses his stones and metals, develops an aesthetic and finds an emotional heartbeat which feeds into the process of creation and the cultural input. A face-to-face conversation becomes a journey together through the worlds of art and emotion, building into one big dream which he turns into a reality. Villa Mozart in Milan is the only place to view and purchase Giampiero Bodino’s creations. By appointment only.
Photos are courtesy of Giampiero Bodino
Giampiero Bodino bespoke order for a ring with a red spinel – 23.16 cts, black spinels and diamonds set in rose gold
