L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano B e a u t y i s t h e soul of Italy, t h e m o s t p r e - c i o u s o f a l l t h i n g s : t h e landscapes, the history, the art our country holds within have no equals. Our food tradition is also part of this w e a l t h o f k n o w l e d g e a n d preciousness: from North to S o u t h , f o o d i s m i r r o r t o Italy's great diversity, of its creativity and history. The fact it is also incredibly good is, of course, an enormous plus. Food is just one more p a g e i n t h e b i g , a m a z i n g book of Italy's many attrac- tions, attractions we should cherish and keep close to our heart, much like we che- rish a piece of jewelry which i s m e a n i n g f u l t o u s , something we inherited or that we received as a sign of love. Yes, we should cherish Italy as the precious jewel it is. And perhaps, we should wear it as a jewel, too. T h i s i s t h e s i m p l e , b u t v e r y i n n o v a t i v e t h o u g h t behind Gioielli DOP, the b r a i n c h i l d o f t w o y o u n g Italians, Giorgio Isabella, a fourth-generation jeweler, a n d F i l i p p o M a r i a C a p i t a n i o , a n e x p e r t i n online business. Bringing together Italian craftsman- ship, knowhow and innova- tion, the duo came out with an entirely new concept, that of FoodJewelry, that they debuted five years ago on t h e p r e s t i g i o u s a n d v e r y significative stage of Expo 2015. The idea is not far from what we've said so far: why can't we carry, in a hand- made piece of jewelry crea- ted by Italian masters, a bit of Italy with us everywhere we go, all year round? Why can't we wear our heritage, passions, history and culi- nary tastes on our sleeve — or, more aptly, around our n e c k o r w r i s t ? G i o i e l l i D O P , a n a m e t h a t p l a y s w i t h t h e D O P c o n c e p t ( P D O i n E n g l i s h , o r P r o t e c t e d D e s i g n a t i o n o f Origin) associated to Italy's original food products and traditional regional produce, is something at once new and rooted in tradition, that brings together Italy's cen- turies-long jewelry-making tradition and a fresh, young sales' approach, based on colorful packaging, eye-cat- ching sale stands and pop- up stores and the power of 21st century online commer- ce. "Gioielli DOP wants to be a n o d e t o t h e Mediterranean lifestyle, with its colors and joie de vivre, a lifestyle made of f r i e n d s h i p , t r a d i t i o n a n d f a m i l y . I t w a s c r e a t e d t o honor Italy's excellences: its artistic and cultural heritage, its culinary diversity and its craftsmanship," G i o r g i o Isabella tells us. "We call it the '3 Bs of Made in Italy:' b e l l o , b u o n o e b e n f a t t o (beautiful, good to the palate and well made)," he conti- nues, "beautiful like Italy's culture and tradition, good like our traditional food and w e l l m a d e , j u s t l i k e o u r jewelry — entirely handma- de in silver and baked ena- mels — is." The idea is that of using jewelry — charms, neckla- ces, bracelets, pendants and e a r r i n g s — t o c a r r y y o u around an imaginary Grand Tour of Italy, which is at once artistic, cultural and culinary: that's why you'll find silver reproductions of o u r o l d a n d b e l o v e d l i r a coins, along with Pulcinella masks, Rome's Colosseum and Puglia's burrata, each piece unique and beautiful because handmade by expert craftsmen in Arezzo. With more than150, handmade charms to choose from, the G i o i e l l i D O P c o l l e c t i o n speaks creativity in all lan- guages. Customers can crea- te an entirely unique piece of jewelry, one that has a special meaning to them or to the persons they love. But what makes the Gioielli DOP experience different from o t h e r s w i t h a s i m i l a r a p p r o a c h i s i n t h a t e a c h piece is entirely made in Italy and carries within centuries of experience and craftsmanship, as Giorgio explains to us: "it takes up to four days to make one of our pieces and four diffe- rent artisans, each of them specialized in a field." This goes well with one of the company's mottos, le cose b u o n e h a n n o b i s o g n o d i t e m p o , " I t t a k e s t i m e t o make good things." Made in Italy means also never compromising on quality, so only sterling silver 925 is u s e d t o m a k e a l l G i o i e l l i DOP pieces and all enamels a r e o v e n - b a k e d , w h i c h means they are fully scratch- proof and have incredible colors: indeed, it is impossi- ble not to notice how bright and intense these jewels are. Beautiful, handmade, pre- c i o u s a n d I t a l i a n : i t s h o u l d n ' t s u r p r i s e t h a t , during their five years long p r e s e n c e o n t h e m a r k e t Gioielli DOP gathered quite a f o l l o w i n g , a l s o a m o n g VIPs. Want some names? Iconic business woman and s t y l e i c o n C h i a r a Ferragni, talented Italian a c t r e s s R o b e r t a G i a r r u s s o , n e w s c a s t e r Stefania Pinna, RAI jour- nalist Vittoriana Abate a n d f o r m e r M i s s I t a l i a Claudia Andreatti. RAI, the Italian national broadca- s t c o m p a n y , d e d i c a t e d numerous reports to Gioielli DOP, too, both on national and regional channels. On t h e o t h e r s i d e o f t h e Atlantic, Ornella Fado, the NIAF and NOIAW asso- ciations and a plethora of social media influencers all s h o w e d a p p r e c i a t i o n a n d support. Gioielli DOP also h a d p o p - u p s t o r e s a t N o r d s t r o m a n d a t 4 3 4 Broadway, in New York. S o , y o u s e e , t h e r e a r e many reasons to love Gioielli DOP: they're beautiful, they are well made, they are uni- que. They are words one can use to create a very perso- nal, meaningful message, they are quirky and fun. Not last, as one of their slogans quite rightly say, "They have Italy inside," hanno l'Italia dentro. Now, that'd make a beautiful present, don't you think? STAFF Colorful, trendy and fun, Gioielli DOP pieces are made with all-Italian expertise (Photo courtesy of Gioielli DOP) Creativity, tradition … and a pinch of Italian attitude with Gioielli DOP The concept behind Gioielli DOP is that of keeping Italy and its beauty always on you! (Photo courtesy of Gioielli DOP) LIFESTYLE FASHION FOOD ARTS ADVICE

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