Atelier VM

What’s the nature of a jewel? It’s delicate, subtle and almost weightless in form, yet eternal and profound in meaning. It’s poetry, symbols, emotions, desires, secrets that ultimately shape our character, as our character shapes them. It’s a connection, a deep intertwinement with our scent, our memory, our body. It’s part of us. And Atelier VM knows it all too well.

You walk across the busy via Correnti and bump into a simple jewelry store on which your gaze lingers almost by miracle. You walk in, still unsure and startled by the simplicity of wood and glass around you, but then wonders start to unfold from little wooden boxes and showcases. These people know their job, and exercise it with such ease, taste, and grace that every creation seems effortlessly born, as if it existed in nature forever. Precious or not, metals, stones and other materials of different origin and class are mixed together in the most audacious combinations.

All the pieces have one thing in common: a defined character, an idea, a thought, a symbol, often expressed in their names. Their spirit is so unexpectedly fresh, seductive and playful, with pieces like “Looking For a Home”, a ring in 18 carat gold with a diamond, and a small house on top; or 9 carat minimal gold rings in the shape of lips called “Mouth Ring”.

Other collections connect on a deeper level to the spirit of the wearer, sometimes metaphorically becoming part of the body. For instance, the Essentials collection stands for subtle gold chains which gently wrap around the wearer’s hand and get sealed by a laser in a bespoke bracelet that cannot be taken off; or the Impronta ring, personalized with the owner’s unique fingerprint: what can be more intimate?

We could sing an ode to this marvelous boutique, an intricate combination of jewelry, art, and poetry, perfect down to the last detail. And to our delight, this poem is still work in progress, spreading its wings to Excelsior with its own corner and to prestigious multi-brands around the world, written line after line by Viola Naj Oleari and Marta Caffarelli, two incredible visionaries and souls of the project since 1998.