Giorgio & Alessandro Berto

A kaleidoscopic carnival sheathed in gold and gems

• Giorgio and Alessandro create one-of-a-kind pieces in the Venetian jewellery tradition
• Their atelier-workshop was named after the iconic Doge’s Hat
• Father and son work in a workshop that overlooks a narrow ruga just off St Mark’s square

After working for the best Venetian goldsmiths since the age of 14, in 1969 Giorgio Berto decided to venture into his own business. “Back in the days when Venice still had a soul,” he says with a twinge of nostalgia. His workshop was as small as his slogan was resolute: “Buy art, not just a piece of jewellery.” With time, both his son and daughter joined him. He trained Alessandro to become a fully-fledged goldsmith and Ursula an expert in jewels and a point of reference for their affectionate clients. True to Venice’s tradition, the Dogale shop only sells jewels that father and son make in the adjacent workshop, under everyone’s eyes. "This is a feature that has almost disappeared in the lagoon, swept away by cheap souvenirs," explains Alessandro. "For this reason, my father Giorgio half-jokingly calls himself 'the last of the Mohican'," he concludes.

Interview

©Dario Garofalo

©Giorgia Chinellato

What do you enjoy most of your profession?

Giorgio: Everything! It’s the best job in the world. It allows me to meet people who would normally be unapproachable, creating jewels that will be passed on in the family or end up somewhere unexpected. This is the magic that has bewitched me since 1950.

Where do you look for inspiration?

We are very dedicated to research. We gain inspiration from the great goldsmiths of the past, such as Lalique, Fulco di Verdura, Fabergé, but also paintings of masters of colour such as Vittore Carpaccio, or the jewellery created by great civilisations such as the Etruscans and the Egyptians.

What types of jewellery do you specialise in making?

We make the Moretti figure, which we present as brooches, earrings, rings, pendants, cufflinks, as well as the Venetian Lion. We also produce glyptic art rings with finely carved semi-precious stones, and vanitas (or memento mori) jewellery on the theme of the skull.

Is jewellery making an endangered craft?

Alessandro: An interesting question… I like to compare the goldsmith – along with many other artisans – to a soldier fighting an uneven war against mass production, taxation, bureaucracy and surging rents, armed only with an old-fashioned musket.

Giorgio & Alessandro Berto are master artisans: they began their career in 1969 and they started teaching in 1986

Works

©Gioielleria Dogale

©Gioielleria Dogale

©Alessandro Berto

Where