Ancestral and industrial, figurative and abstract, gold and black. In conceiving the Venusia collection, Elena Salmistraro creates an imaginary world in which the contrast of textures, colours and geometries is enhanced by precious Italian workmanship.

“Venusia is a variant of the name Venus, goddess of beauty. It recalls the close link between human beings and ornamental elements for the body, whose very beauty becomes an element of “shielding and protection” explains designer Elena Salmistraro.

“This is a bond that has always existed and is linked to religions, rituals, or the aesthetic taste of the individual. She seeks to do it in her own way, of course, mixing the sacred and the profane, simplicity and complexity, the richness of the jewel with the roughness of the material, the obvious formal modernity with primitive references,” Salmistraro added.

Elena Salmistrar (Photo by Marco Pietracupa, courtesy of Alessi)

The designer develops her research by following five “expressive strands” with evocative names – Acta, Freesia, Edone, Trama and Lorica – within which she explores different metal processes: from laser cutting to calendaring, from deep drawing to Etruscan granulation, one of the oldest and
most fascinating goldsmith techniques, which consisted of welding tiny gold or silver spheres on a metal sheet.

Elena Salmistraro gives life to a collection of “gioielli di officina” (workshop jewellery) that enhance the expressive qualities of metals in their interaction with light, highlighting the details of this surprising collection.

Rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings that conceal a high manufacturing complexity: produced in stainless steel, totally hypoallergenic, they are further embellished with refined gold and black PVD finishes.

In Venusia, light fretworks and material surfaces, tribal imagery and contemporaneity give life to suggestive and fascinating shapes for those looking for originality and fine details that evoke emotions.

The Venusia Jewellery Collection is available at alessi.com.