.. THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION SATURDAY-SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22-23, 2018 | 11

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CLARA VANNUCCI FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES ’s capital of gold Many residents create jewelry. So did their ancestors.

VICENZA, ITALY to a centuries-old weekly market, a le- gion of aperitivo bars where evening crowds gather in this wine-loving town, BY LAURA RYSMAN and the storefronts of 10 independent jewelry businesses. is quaintly medieval at its cen- There were 15 such shops on this piaz- ter, a dense jumble of old butter-toned za already in the 1300s; Soprana, the dwellings along narrow byways that oc- house that today has been at its piazza casionally give way to some of the Ren- location the longest, was founded in 1770 aissance’s most elegant architecture, by the family of jewelers that had made but these structures mask an industrial the famed precious crown for a statue of might that has made this small city Ita- the Virgin Mary in the Church of St. ly’s most productive capital of jewelry. Mary of Monte Berico nearby. “We were born to do this kind of The piazza is dominated by the thing,” said Roberto Coin, whose name- slightly leaning (but still functioning) sake company is one of Vicenza’s most 14th-century Bissara clock tower; by successful brands worldwide. “We were two towering columns, topped by stat- born to create beauty, we were born to ues of Christ the Redeemer and the create new ideas. It’s in our DNA. It’s winged lion that symbolizes Venice, the what we know how to do.” Nearly 10 per- lagoon city about 50 miles east that cent of the 100,000-plus population is ruled Vicenza in the 15th century; and employed in the jewelry sector, and by the 16th-century Basilica Palladiana, teenagers can replace high school with with its stately double row of white mar- jewelry studies at the Scuola d’Arte e ble arches by , the most Mestieri. influential architect of the Renaissance The local legacy of jewelry-making and Vicenza’s most illustrious resident. predates even the cobbled streets: As Since 2014, the Basilica Palladiana Storied past far back as 600 B.C., the Vicentini were has housed the Museo del Gioiello, pro- Above, the gold- crafting clothing fasteners, called fibula, moted as the only jewelry museum in It- smith Soprana, and other ornaments in bronze. But it aly and one of just a handful in the world, founded in 1770 in was the 14th century, with its emphasis with a treasure box of an exhibition Vicenza’s Piazza dei on craft and guilds (and a 1339 statute space designed by Patricia Urquiola. Signori and now one recognizing the goldsmiths’ fraglia, or The museum is just completing what it of 10 independent guild), that crowned Vicenza as a promi- says was the largest solo show ever ded- jewelry businesses nent center of the jewelry arts and made icated to the artist and jeweler Giò Po- there. Below, a its jewelers’ guild a political force modoro, to be followed by an exhibition piazza in the city among the nobles and merchants — and on crowns and tiaras. The display in- with the 16th- of city society to this day. cludes a rotating selection of jewelry century Basilica Vicenza’s heart is the Piazza dei Si- from Vicenza and well beyond, includ- Palladiana by Palla- gnori, the bustling former Roman forum ing the Monte Berico crown; a Lalique dio at the rear. whose vast, stone-paved square is home CAPITAL, PAGE A12 .. 12 | SATURDAY-SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22-23, 2018 THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION

ELEMENTS

Gold, metal of the gods A universal status symbol since ancient times, gold’s beauty, tactility and malleability have long Master of all made it the most desirable material in human During the 1960s and 1970s the Paris workshop of Georges Lenfant, adornment. RACHEL GARRAHAN now led by his son Jacques, created gold bracelets in intricate patterns and textures, like this one now at Hancocks, a London dealer.

Power jewels Gold as hero Jewelry made entirely of The London-based jeweler gold became fashionable Ute Decker demonstrated during post-World War II the sculptural qualities of austerity, coinciding with gold with her Praise of the rise of the strong, Shadows earrings. She uses independent woman. only fair-trade gold, which Here, for a 1969 Vogue can trace its provenance to photo, Marisa Berenson small mining operations in wore layers of Bulgari countries like Peru gold chains and rings. and Uganda.

GIAN PAOLO BARBIERI/CONDÉ NAST, VIA GETTY IMAGES

VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM Through the ages This ceremonial collar, the Shannongrove gorget, was discovered in an Irish bog in the 18th century. From the late Bronze Age, it displays sophisticated chasing and embossing techniques.

All that glitters A seemingly infinite array of gold- smithing skills have been developed since the Mesopotamians demonstrated cloisonné, filigree Worth its weight and granulation Sotheby’s will hold the techniques more Midas Touch, its first sale than 3,000 years dedicated entirely to ago. Here, the Olympic Gold gold, on Oct. 14 in Lon- signature sheen of For the 2004 Athens Games, the Greek jeweler don. It will feature Marc the Italian jeweler Elena Votsi created an Olympic medal design Quinn’s “Song of the Marco Bicego’s gold still used today. Her sculptural jewelry designs, Siren,” an 18-karat solid work is created like the ring above, match the current vogue for gold bust of Kate Moss, using the bulino, a statement pieces, and polished gold is her weighing a considerable traditional tool that material of choice. “It’s like a canvas where I 8,021 grams (17 produces a fine, can tell my story,” she said. pounds). brushed texture.

FROM THE COVER Capital of gold

CAPITAL, FROM PAGE A11 By the 1970s, Vicenza was thriving 1890 bird brooch bedecked with a fistful amid a boom in European and American of diamonds; and the Rosa dei Venti jewelry sales; the numbers of artisan choker, set with panels of brightly col- ateliers surged, while factories turned ored gemstones, by the contemporary out large quantities of jewelry and par- Milanese jeweler Giampiero Bodino. ticularly of chains — thanks to machines “More than economic value, the mu- invented locally, said Cristina del Mare, seum provides cultural value,” Alba a jewelry historian and one of the Museo Cappellieri, the director, said. “The mu- del Gioiello’s curators. This combination seum has enhanced the status of Vicen- of skilled craftspeople and technology za as a jewelry capital, as it was in- also established the city as the work- tended to.” shop for some of the best-known brands, Along with help from the city (which including Gucci, Tiffany & Co. and lends the Basilica Palladiana space) and Hermès. some industry sponsors, the museum is “We’re very advanced technolog- funded primarily by the Italian Exhibi- ically here, but what makes the differ- tion Group, which holds Vicenzaoro, the ence is our manual skill,” said Chiara local jewelry trade show that attracts Carli, who along with Marino Pesavento more exhibitors and attendees than any founded Pesavento 26 years ago at the other in Italy. The twice-yearly event, Centro Orafa Vicentina, a complex on scheduled to open Saturday, is held at the city outskirts that houses 40 compa- the Fiera di Vicenza fairgrounds outside nies. The business creates dramatically the city center. It drew more than 56,000 Italianate jewelry with an emphasis on visitors in 2017, with 18,000 of them com- chains, combining the machine-made ing in January. By comparison, the Jan- and 3-D-printed with the hand-assem- uary event this year attracted 23,000. bled and finished. “It’s not about being the largest fair,” Pesavento is a majority female enter- said Matteo Marzotto, the exhibition prise, unusual in this mostly male indus- group’s vice president. In 1836, his fam- try, with 26 women on the 40-person ily began Marzotto Tessuti, now Italy’s team running its workshops and offices. leading producer of fabric and one of the But in other aspects the brand is typical of Vicenza’s jewelry companies: It is a family affair, with Ms. Carli’s brother “We were born to create and twin sister working alongside her. PHOTOGRAPHS BY CLARA VANNUCCI FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES beauty, we were born to create “Handcraft is still 80 percent of the new ideas.” work here,” Ms. Carli said as she leaned over a woman in a blue smock who was delicately laser-soldering a silver chain, City of wonders reasons Vicenza is also a major supplier link by link. But Pesavento also repre- Palladio’s Teatro of textiles and fashion. sents the latest chapter of Vicenza’s Olimpico is a 1585 “What we want to be is the most beau- story: the adjustment since the 2008 marvel that recre- tiful fair, to offer three days of business downturn to a weakened Italian econ- ates an ancient when visitors can experience the Italian omy and difficult global market. amphitheater as an lifestyle,” he said, pointing at the charms Pesavento sells jewels of plated silver, indoor playhouse. of the Piazza dei Signori, where he was not solid gold, and many are accented Below it, displays at sitting at El Coq, the city’s Michelin- with the brand’s signature polveri di the Museo del starred restaurant. (Growth, however, sogni, a dab of carbon microparticles Gioiello include the is still a priority, so with exhibitor and that impart the shimmer of black dia- Rosa dei Venti visitor numbers increasing, construc- monds at a much lower price. In general choker by Gi- tion is scheduled to begin in 2019 on a today, Vicenza’s companies are market- ampiero Bondino, a fairgrounds pavilion of almost 540,000 ing products that are less expensive modern piece, and square feet, a 20 percent expansion.) than what they previously offered, but the crown of Our Deeply linked to the territory’s jew- still reflect Italian style and know-how. Lady of Monte elry industry, Vicenzaoro is a particu- “With the crisis, we were obliged to be- Berico (1900). larly proud showcase for hometown come much more business-minded brands such as Pesavento, Fope and Ro- about what we do,” Ms. Carli said. berto Coin, although vendors come from “Globalization has killed Italy,” said around the world to sell. Mr. Coin, who says his export business A city that suffered heavy bombings remains strong despite competition posts in France, Spain and Germany, he the , a 1585 marvel that by Vicenza’s jewelers, requiring more and deprivation during World War II from countries with lower production noted, thanks to superior craftsmanship recreates an ancient amphitheater as an than 2,000 hours of handwork. An offer- (other Italians have taunted the towns- costs. “The bigger got bigger; the small- and the standard of Italian style. “Vicen- indoor playhouse; and other Unesco- ing to the Virgin Mary for the cessation people as mangiagatti, or cat eaters), Vi- er got smaller or disappeared.” His busi- za must express the italianità it did in protected sites. of the plague, it was destroyed by Napo- cenza never lost its connection to the ness falls on the bigger side, while most the past,” he said, a lit cigarette in one Yet visitors might easily miss one of leon’s troops in 1797. goldsmith’s art, and the economy re- of Vicenza’s jewelry houses have been hand as he sipped an espresso at his the most resonant examples of architec- But in 2011 the city had the model vived in the 1950s and ’60s as it com- small, family-style operations. Mr. Coin desk. “The world expects expressions of ture: Vicenza in miniature, circa 1577, recreated, using its appearance in sev- bined its long jewelry tradition with in- estimates that there were around 5,300 beauty and quality from us.” the year the town council commissioned eral Renaissance paintings as a guide. dustrial and technological innovation, jewelry businesses in the city when he It’s easy to feel the italianità of the Palladio to design a small model of the Today, it sits in a spotlit case at the Di- helped along by American investment started in 1977; today, there are 851. past in Vicenza. Tourists flock to town to city. Just about two feet in diameter and ocesan Museum — a silent, gleaming in the area, including the construction of Still, Vicenza has held on to its posi- see Palladio’s harmoniously symmetri- with 300 tiny buildings, the model was votive to the unending gospel of jewelry- a United States military base. tion better than jewelry-making out- cal Renaissance buildings: the basilica; painstakingly created in sterling silver making in Vicenza.