Francesca Villa’s new Ricordi collection pays tribute to the emotional connection people have to the places they travel with hand-painted, miniature landscapes honoring iconic destinations like Capri and Mykonos.
Ricordi is Italian for the word “memories,” and Villa shares the collection’s inspiration came from the objects she and everyone else bring home from a great vacation or family trip. In fact, one of the collection’s pendants honors her parents’ sailboat, the Tiziana.
“Aboard Tiziana, I experienced some of my happiest childhood memories as we sailed across the Mediterranean,” the Italian fine jeweler tells JCK via email from her travels to Namibia. “Long summer days at sea, endless horizons, and the quiet elegance of life under a sail are forever captured in that jewel, a tribute to the moments that shaped who I am and continue to inspire my work.”
Villa says the souvenir is the jewel itself. Each miniature landscape is hand-painted and carved on the reverse of a faceted rock crystal, preserving not just the appearance of a place, but the feeling of being there.
“Ultimately, the collection is about celebrating the places that remain with us long after we’ve returned home,” Villa explains. “The most treasured souvenirs are the ones that bring us back to a moment in time.
“Jewelry has a unique ability to do that because it is worn close to the body and becomes part of our everyday lives. A landscape, a favorite beach, the view from a hotel terrace or a place where an important life event happened can all become deeply personal memories.”
Ricordi’s pieces include rings and charms centering on three locations: Capri, Saint-Tropez, and Mykonos. Villa says the brand chose these sites because they are places that have become part of people’s collective imagination about what travel stands for in their lives.
For example, the Saint-Tropez ring and charm show a blue sky and the azure Riviera with a sailboat moving along it, its white sails moving in the breeze. The Capri clip charm shows a small gozzo boat drifting on the water with a branch of lemon blossoms and lemons overhead. The Mykonos charm features windmills overlooking the Aegean Sea and blooming bougainvillea.
“They represent the golden age of summer travel, with a timeless glamour that feels both nostalgic and contemporary, reminiscent of the destinations you would see in Slim Aarons’ iconic photographs,” Villa shares. “Each destination has its own distinct atmosphere, colors, and character, making them the perfect starting point for jewels that celebrate not just a place, but the memories and emotions we associate with it.”
Francesca Villa partnered with retailers in each of those locations for the Ricordi collection. Saint-Tropez pieces are available at Madlords Saint-Tropez, where Villa has a summertime trunk show; Mykonos pieces are available at i-D Fine Jewellery, Mykonos; and Capri pieces are available at Beatriz Werebe, Capri. Bespoke designs are also available for any destination a client may want.
“While the first pieces celebrate Capri, Saint-Tropez, and Mykonos, the collection is also conceived as a bespoke concept,” Villa explains. “Clients can commission a jewel inspired by a place that holds special meaning for them, transforming a cherished memory into a wearable heirloom.”
Top: The new Francesca Villa Ricordi collection includes a charm devoted to her parents’ beloved sailboat, the Tiziana. (Photos courtesy of Francesca Villa)
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