Elena Siciliani

Jewellery maker

©Elena Siciliani

Eclectic jewellery

Elena used to work as an architect
She uses different materials from metal and wood to gemstones
She studies the history of the various elements and their hidden energies

Elena Siciliani, a jewellery maker from Milan, laments not having a signature technique. However, while none of her pieces look alike, there must be something distinctive about her work, since anyone who knows her recognises her pieces and artistry. Perhaps, it may be her “touch”, the way she approaches materials moulding them or perhaps it is her sculptural approach to jewellery: just like Gianfranco Ferrè, better known as the Architect of Fashion, Elena has a background in architecture. Or maybe it is the fact that all her jewels have something mystical about them, due to her way of addressing materials, gemstones and organic elements, somehow taking into consideration their intrinsic energies.

Interview

©Elena Siciliani

©Elena Siciliani

How did you become a jewellery maker?: As an architect, I was one of the first ones in Italy to use Autocad and create 3D renderings. But, as it often happens, after my second pregnancy my contract was not renewed. I had always been fascinated by the luxury world, so I decided to study jewellery design at the Scuola Orafa Ambrosiana.
What is the essence of your work?: Research and experimentation. It is fundamental. This is also the reason why I do not have a signature technique or style that differentiates my work. It is just beyond me, I cannot prevent myself from always trying something new: different designs, materials, and ideas.
Where do you find materials?: Certain areas of Milan function like an Arabian Souk: there are streets devoted to various things. In via Settembrini you find gemstones, in the outskirts you find fabrics: these places are off the beaten path but well known to local artisans. I also have many clients who bring me jewellery pieces to redesign.
Where does the mystical aspect come from?: I started by designing jewellery with a strong symbolic meaning, then I started analyzing the “powers” of all kinds of materials. Everything has its own energies, organic materials such as wood and gemstones in particular, and everyone responds to them in a different way. I try to work in harmony with these energies.

Elena Siciliani is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2008