| |
Imagine the most exquisite piece of jewelry: Elegant, exotic, and truly one-of-a-kind,
its beauty is unsurpassed. Its timeless design offers a sense of permanence, making
it an heirloom to pass down for generations. Skillfully handcrafted, it is a work of
precision and technical excellence. Imagine that piece of jewelry, and you have
imagined the work of Jack and Elizabeth Gualtieri of Zaffiro in Portland, Oregon.
These national award-winning designers believe that beautiful jewelry is artful,
precise, and everlasting. Influenced by both ancient and modern styles, from Etruscan
era jewels to urban architecture, the husband-and-wife design team creates
granulated custom jewelry with colorful gemstones. Their work pushes the bound-
aries of traditional 22 karat yellow gold granulation, a technique in which tiny gold
spheres are fused to the surface of a similar gold alloy. The already complicated
process requires utmost precision: If overfired, the gold granules will melt into the
surface of the piece; if underfired, they will not adhere properly and fall off. Perfecting
the granulation technique is a challenge, but going beyond small variations of the
traditional 22 karat yellow gold recipe was unheard of-until now.
Jack and Elizabeth have developed alloys and techniques for granulating in 22 karat
rose and white gold, as well as platinum, offering an endless palette of options
to customize a piece to their client's taste.
|
