Contemporary jewelry: interview with Maria Sole Ferragamo

Q: Dear Maria Sole, when you had the idea of producing jewelry: already by attending the Polytechnic in Milan or even before? What is your first memory linked to a jewel?

A: Since long before, my passion for creating jewelry was born as a child. More precisely for my 9 years birthday, my mother gave me a red box with inside a copper wire, beads and tweezers. With those materials, I created my first bracelet and since then I have never stopped. I took the beads to school and worked secretly under the desk. In high school, I could not wait for Saturday to arrive in order to spend all afternoon and night in my little workshop!

Q: Some jewels of the SO-LE Studio collection recall typical forms of biology: DNA, for example, or sometimes anthropomorphic forms. Is it a desired aspect? Where does the inspiration come from?
A: What is definitely wanted in my work is trying to work leather, a living material, in shapes that recall movement and in objects that are light and pleasant to wear. I draw inspiration from different sources, I look a lot at the architecture and in particular the structural elements; I look at kinetic and optical art, precisely because of that illusion of movement in static and three-dimensional objects in two-dimensional elements. In fashion, however, I am fascinated by the costumes of the Elizabethan era for their royal component and because from these costumes and garments, women drew beauty and strength feeling protected. Finally, many of my ideas come from the tireless and constant research on materials and processing techniques.

Q: If you were to celebrate a special event, such as a gala dinner, which jewel would you like to wear?
A: I do not like elaborate dresses. I prefer simple and linear ones, often monochrome. In this way the dress becomes for me a bit like the canvas of a painter that I can decorate with the jewel. So for a gala dinner I would decorate it with something as important as our “Bella” piece, which is a large necklace that covers the shoulders.

Q: One last word, a sentence with which you would like to close the interview?
A: “Inspiration exists, but it must find you at work.” This quote by Pablo Picasso is particularly important to me because it summarizes the way I approach my work, with constancy, perseverance and devotion.