“Jewelry with stories to tell” is the tagline of jewelry designer Francesca Villa’s eponymous brand, founded in Valenza, Italy, in 2007.
That Villa’s jewels have much to say indeed feels true once you see them: Incredibly thoughtful designs, many utilizing found vintage items (objets trouvés), these are no everyday creations.
This continues with a new collection of floral jewels—a welcome arrival for spring, yes, but a celebration of flowers themselves more than the season. “The discovery of these whimsical flower resins ignited a moment of inspiration,” Villa says in notes on the collection. “Each of these objects celebrates an individual flower, capturing the transient beauty found in nature. My own Garden of Eden.”
The resins the designer refers to were made in Germany in the 1950s, in an assortment of blooms that would make an avid gardener lose their mind—rose, daffodil, gladiolus, begonia, gerbera, to name a few. Villa has given them settings that complement their colors and spirits, with delicate bucolic drawings engraved on the backs. The consideration and care put into each piece are beautifully evident, from the peridot- and tsavorite-accented pansies to the ruby- and diamond-dotted roses,
Because of the limited supply of the vintage materials used in her rings, Francesca Villa’s pieces are all limited-edition and inspire a feeling of collectibility. (Many of her customers do collect them.) These are no different, a garden of blooms waiting to be picked—and worn forever.
Top: Pansy earrings in 18k yellow gold with 0.53 ct. t.w. peridot, 0.28 ct. t.w. tsavorite, and 0.46 ct. t.w. diamonds, $7,130; Francesca Villa
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