The Bold and the Beautiful

We’ve all seen it before... Go to a glam and glitzy formal or even a fancy cocktail and, chances are, you’ll spot shiny sparkles of exceedingly expensive jewelry everywhere you look – and they’ll probably all look the same, without a single piece of bling catching your attention. Quite a shame for all that money spent. For some weird reason or another, people seem to have forgotten that jewelry, although technically described as mere ornaments used to adorn the body, has to somehow exude character and practically brings out the personality of the wearer. It’s never as simple as just choosing an elegant piece to parade around in. Yes, jewelry today (just as it was in most cultures and religions from way back) should be thought of as a symbol – a piece of ornamentation that can represent you. When choosing and deciding to spend a significant amount of money, thinking about your own personality is the best way to go. Each piece of jewelry really does have to scream the wearer’s persona. Imagine Queen Elizabeth wearing something as funky as a dog collar neckpiece from the underground London fashion scene – it doesn’t quite match, does it?

But for people who do know that jewelry and the wearer’s identity go hand in hand, the problem has always been the limited choices of quality pieces worth investing in. So, a little over a decade ago in 1994, Franco Pianegonda and his sister Maria Luisa revolutionized the jewelry business when they started to create pieces with bold, modern designs – a far cry from the look of traditionally-designed jewelry that most of us are used to. Pianegonda’s designs actually look more like wearable art pieces than the frilly little things most of us call jewelry and they are definitely appropriate for both casual and dressy events. Also, just as Pianegonda has designed pieces for women, they have also designed pieces for men which involve huge chain links that don’t look anything like any random dirty old man would wear. Take a look at the label’s 2006 ad campaign and you’ll see just how different the Pianegonda mindset is. Instead of showcasing the formulaic jewelry ad campaign of a waif-thin model decked out in diamond-encrusted pieces posing sensually in a dimly lit background, Pianegonda took the alternative route. The label actually got their models to do quirky and funny poses in casual wear while sporting Pianegonda’s contemporary designs. Now, that’s what we call character.