Having designed jewellery since she was a child, Italy’s Licia Mattioli is set to conquer the world with good taste, according to Delphine Stefens
Recently appointed President of Federorafi, Italy’s national federation for silverware, gold and jewellery manufacturers, Licia Mattioli is the first woman to hold that position.
Mattioli started in jewellery making fifteen years ago in her native Turin when, together with her father Luciano, she bought Antica Ditta Marchisio, one of Italy’s longest established goldsmiths, bearer of the first trade mark delivered by the city in the 19th century, which is still used today. A lawyer, then in her late twenties, Mattioli set about revolutionizing the business with the guidance of her father and deepening her own understanding of business management.
One of the first things she did was study the vast archives of the Antica Ditta Marchisio which manufactures jewellery for several world-renowned brands, looking into design from both an aesthetic and a technical point of view. Launching the company’s own Mattioli brand in 2000, she says she wanted “the designs to be playful and the earrings light”, trusting to instinct that this is what women want.
The brand’s iconic Puzzle collection illustrates Mattioli’s penchant for straight lines and clean shapes as well as her sense of proportion. This translates, for instance, into a pair of fine earrings that comes with three pairs of pendants that can easily be changed allowing their owner to mix and match.
quartz and moonstone €2.090
diamonds €4.380
Opening her first boutique in Rome, Mattioli says she did not do so “just for the sake of it”, but instead waited and looked for “the ideal place that would correspond to the image of the brand and feel right”. Inaugurated about a year ago, the Mattioli shop on Via del Babuino in Rome is a superb Art Deco oasis of calm in the midst of this busy fashion thoroughfare. Decorated in tones of beige and black, the exquisite furniture and lighting blend into a cosy whole, giving customers a sense of being at home. And that’s exactly what Licia Mattioli was looking for: “A place that feels like a salon where we can welcome friends and customers alike.”
and interchangeable brown mother of
pearl jackets €990
Mattioli’s next stop may very well be Moscow or even Shanghai, for this warm, yet strong-willed woman’s modern take on jewellery-making is definitely winning hearts as well as a share of the market. A key to her success, says Mattioli, is that “as a true Gemini, I always strive for the perfect balance between my creative and managerial selves”.
Available in Brussels at Howards, 30 rue Ernest Allard, B-1000
