Born in Modena (Italy) in 1957, Gigi Mariani opened his own studio in 1985 after a two-year apprenticeship in a goldsmith’s workshop. Since 2009 he attended several seminar workshops on goldsmith’s techniques and from 2012 onward his presence in the field of contemporary jewellery counted several exhibitions and awards. The dense consistency of his black surfaces as well as his “painterly style” reached attention at international fairs and exhibitions. His works are represented by several art jewellery galleries in Europe and America. He lives and works in Modena.

My work can be divided into two phases: a design phase and therefore a classical work base of the work, where some recurring aspects of goldsmithing are present, such as sheet metal construction, including welding, hinges, and snap closures. This slow, thoughtful process is typical of goldsmithing. And a second, more informal phase, which gives the object depth and character, using ancient techniques such as the textured application of niello, granulation, or oxidation. These textures hide the preciousness of each piece (preciousness because I usually use precious metals). Let's say that I use the base, i.e., the piece of jewellery, like a painter uses a canvas to express his concepts and emotions.

Over the years, I have cultivated a passion for painting—informal, expressive, and textured—where color, or a line, represents an emotion or a particular state of mind. I was looking for something similar in goldsmithing, and I found it using the techniques of niello, granulation, and oxidation in a pictorial, informal way. This use changes the jewellery appearance and makes it unique. So, both technical and artistic elements, a mix that I believe make my pieces recognizable. Moreover, they are unique pieces because, even if replicable, being all handcrafted, they will never be identical due to small differences in finishing and the use of niello, that, conceived here as a color, has an always different final result.

(Gigi Mariani)