For nearly 40 years, Italian jewellery house Vhernier has been at the forefront of design when it comes to contemporary and unique pieces.
Created with the desire to champion “the jewel does not exist yet”, the jewellery house has been going against traditional jewellery trends since its inception.
After being acquired by the Traglio family in 2001, Vhernier has continued to go from strength to strength and continues to champion the innate craftsmanship from Italy.
To discuss the brand more in-depth and find out more about their latest collection, Emirates Woman sat down with the house’s Deputy General Manager, Isabella Traglio.
Can you talk us through your career with Vhernier?
I would say the passion for jewels is part of my DNA: from what I remember I have always been fascinated by the charm of jewels. Certainly, my family, which has always cultivated a love for beauty, for precious stones and for jewellery, has facilitated my curiosity and my interest. What at first was a light falling in love became a real passion when I started working in the first Vhernier store in Milan, during my university years: I stayed in the back office, polishing the jewels, and was amazed by the stones of which I loved the colours and shapes. So, I decided to deepen this passion and after University I studied Gemmology at the Gemmological Institute of America, in New York. When I returned to Italy, after some experiences in other companies, I joined Vhernier taking care of the management of the workshops, and here I had the opportunity to further refine my knowledge of precious stones and processes, alongside one the founder of Vhernier, Angela Camurati.
The brand first launched in 1984. How has Vhernier evolved over the last four decades?
Vhernier was conceived with the desire to create ‘the jewel that does not exist yet’: contemporary, different from anything else existing and with great wearability.
Back in 1984, the founders were a sculptor and a young woman with extensive knowledge of jewellery and its most sophisticated techniques. Tired of the banality and conformism of the sector, they longed to find a fresh way to approach jewellery, one which would combine the goldsmith’s trade with the shapes and colours of modern, contemporary art. This meant taking the best of the manufacturing techniques that were applied to conventional jewels, and using them to create totally new shapes that feature a roundedness which brings to mind some forms by artist Constantin Brancusi. However, in the 1990s, when the first creations were launched, it wasn’t quite the right time for “unusual” pieces of jewellery, so it remained a niche brand, a favourite among refined connoisseurs. Among these were my family, who fell in love with this jewellery, so special and so contemporary, at first sight.
When the opportunity to acquire Vhernier arose in 2001, my family made the decision without hesitation. Their dream was to introduce the charms of this utterly unique jewellery to as many women as possible while preserving its one-of-a-kind identity. Today Vhernier jewellery, which is always crafted entirely by hand and only by the most highly skilled Master Goldsmiths exclusively in Italy, continues to represent a “form of resistance” to banality.
