Simply Abu Dhabi XXVI

“What matters in art is not thinking but making”. Jewellery is an art form and the Italian jeweller Alessio Boschi has taken very seriously these words from the German writer and statesman, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Alessio Boschi has made a remarkable collection of jewellery devoted to Italian architecture, taking in Venice, Florence and Verona, Pisa, Lucca and Rome. Through his craft, Alessio Boschi pays tribute to Italian magnificence – eight creations, eight wonders, a bejewelled journey through Italy, its history and its fascinating, monumental architecture. Romanticism and nostalgia combine in Boschi’s jewellery to create a palpable allure. He uses modern and intricate techniques which sometimes permit the jewel to be multifunctional, creating a crescendo of secret surprises. Starting in Venice, Alessio takes inspiration from the iconic gondolas that navigate the Venetian canals, and also from the Bridge of Sighs, which connects the prison to the interrogation rooms of the Doge Palace, passing over the Rio di Palazzo. As Lord Byron said, this was the place where the condemned people could see their last ray of lights and take the last breath of fresh air before going to prison, but if a couple passed under the bridge with a gondola and kissed, that means eternal love. So, the Italian jeweller, carving white gold to represent candid marble, recreated faithfully the Bridge of Sighs, encrusting diamonds in all details and adding on its top an astonishing violet un-heated spinel. The real surprise comes when you open the ring and find three little figurines sculpted in different coloured gold, depicting the scene of two lovers bidding each other farewell. The man goes into prison accompanied by a guard armed with a An Italian Journey withAlessioBoschi By Ivan Allegranti 1 9 0 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I