Inside FOPE’s Gold Jewellery Workshop In Italy

By Avril Groom

10 minutes ago

In a factory near Venice, the brand crafts each of its gold mesh pieces by hand


Fans of Italian gold jewellery brand FOPE’s ultra-comfortable expanding mesh pieces know they are made by a secret process involving tiny gold springs. Exactly how is revealed only to a very few. C&TH Watches & Jewellery editor Avril Groom visited FOPE’s factory in north east Italy for a peek inside the brand’s top secret jewellery design process.

Inside FOPE’s Italian Jewellery Workshop

FOPE’s high-tech factory, near Venice in the historic jewellery city of Vicenza (home of architect Palladio and the world’s first indoor theatre, still in use), is airy and impressive, with an intricate golden chandelier in its reception area – a symbol of its success. Machinery and handworking operate in tandem. At a machine, a craftswoman delicately adjusts the tiniest springs for mesh rings so comfortable they are scarcely noticeable when worn. I have one – to accommodate a swollen knuckle – and it’s so unobtrusive I sometimes forget to take it off.

The lift bringing custom-made gold alloys up from the strongroom is proudly revealed, along with craftspeople polishing every component or deftly fixing every closure with tweezers. But mention the room where the synergy between springs and mesh happens, with specially designed machinery and tools, and you are met with a polite change of subject. The Vicenza industry is close-knit and technical secrets well-guarded. Other jewellers make expanding, highly flexible jewellery – Mattia Cielo, Picchiotti and Pragnell come to mind – but FOPE’s signature mesh is unique.

FOPE’s 18ct gold jewellery is designed and manufactured in-house in the brand’s workshop near Venice. Pictured: Eka Flex’it bracelet with a white diamond, £4,870

This secret has been kept for nearly a century. Goldsmith Umberto Cazzola opened a workshop in 1929 and, with his son, invented flexible gold watchstraps, obviating the need for clasps and building a successful business in the process. The 1970s quartz crisis forced a change; the third generation (another Umberto) introduced jewellery, persuaded by his wife Marilisa (the brand’s CMO) and his sister Ines. In the early 1980s, they created the expandable Novecento mesh, the basis of their subsequent collections.

With the fourth generation, FOPE is now bigger and bolder, expanding into new markets across the globe (its FT valuation is over €237m) with new designs – from the finesse of the Aria range, too delicate to flex, to the large curves of the Eka collection, sometimes with diamond or coloured gem pavé, as worn by Jennifer Lopez. The newest bounty includes scatterings of coloured gemstones in mouth-watering colour schemes, and inspiration from the brand archives – 1980s-style lariat necklaces and tonneau-shaped polished gold and diamond roundels, and the Art Deco influence of diamond-edged hardstone roundels in green (chrysoprase), black (onyx) and white (cacholong): a fast-growing and imaginative vision, all founded on those tiny secret springs.

Our FOPE Jewellery Picks

FOPE now has 12 jewellery collections, ranging from the classic Essentials line to the Vendôme collection inspired by the Art Deco movement. You can shop FOPE’s full catalogue on fope.com, but if you’re wondering which of the brand’s hand-crafted pieces to invest in, here are six C&TH favourites.

Eka collection

Flex’it necklace with ornamental clasp, from £5,720

This necklace – available in 18ct white, yellow or rose gold with a white diamond set in the clasp – is part of the first FOPE collection that launched the brand’s secret Flex’it technology.

BUY NOW

Essentials collection

Stud earrings with diamonds, £2,280

Diamonds add some sparkle to these simple yet elegant stud earrings, which come in three versions: white gold, yellow and white gold, and rose and white gold (all 18ct).

BUY NOW

Eka collection

Flex’it bracelets with gemstones and white diamonds, from £13,420

18ct yellow gold is paired with diamonds and gemstone rondels in these Eka bracelets. Choose from kogolong, onyx or chrysoprase to add some subtle colour and elegance to your daily bracelet stack.

BUY NOW

Panorama collection

Flex’it ring with diamond pavé, from £3,980

This 18ct yellow, white or rose gold ring comprises wide but slim Novecento mesh, a smooth weave of gold chain invented by FOPE in the early 1980s.

BUY NOW

Love Nest collection

Earrings with diamond pavé, £13,710

The gradient diamond pavé set on these earrings will elevate any look, and with a choice of 18ct yellow, white or rose gold, there is no end to the ways this piece can work with your wardrobe.

BUY NOW

Essentials collection

Flex’it ring, from £1,080

Made with FOPE’s signature Flex’it technology and in a sleek, simple style, these 18ct white, yellow or rose gold rings are comfortable to wear while adding a touch of luxury to any outfit.

 

BUY NOW

 


The C&TH Shopping Edit