Sabrina Formica

Poetic Metalworks

Jewellery maker

Tales to wear

Sabrina makes jewellery as well as home decor pieces from brass
Her pieces are exhibited in contemporary jewellery galleries around the world
Ceramics is another of her passions

Sabrina Formica's passion for jewellery was born in Istanbul, where she lived for two years working as a stylist and tutor in a fashion academy. It all started from a small random event: intrigued by a flyer advertising a jewellery making course, Sabrina attended the trial lesson and immediately fell in love with the craft. After completing the 144-hour course, she decided to devote herself fully to making jewellery. Today, Sabrina lives and works between Milan and her hometown of Bari, where she creates personal collections and offers artistic jewellery courses to students from all over the world. Her creations have been selected for jewellery fairs and exhibitions and are exhibited in renowned international galleries of contemporary jewellery. She also collaborates with ceramic artist Ekaterina De Andreis and has started teaching ceramic and jewellery techniques in the EKADEA studio.

Interview

Why did you choose to become a jewellery maker?: The choice of this profession comes from a deep need to create with my hands and find a language that could unite my different passions: drawing, poetry and sculpture. Creating jewellery allows me to be constantly evolving and experimenting with new technical and formal solutions, keeping alive that feeling of wonder from which all it started.
How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?: Tradition and innovation are constantly present in my works. I use ancient techniques such as fretwork, moulding, embossing and lost wax technique, and I try to reinterpret these into a contemporary language. I also use graphics software to prepare sketches and digital prototypes before final working on metal, avoiding waste of material and time.
How is your craft linked to where you live?: My creations are the result of different cultural influences that belong to me: my Apulian origins, my experience in Turkey and abroad and my current life in Milan. In addition, my work is strongly linked to the territory because I collaborate with local suppliers and workshops. This contributes to keeping alive the network of small artisan workshops that characterises the sector.
How would you define your work?: I define my work as a form of manual art where technique joins with the ability to translate ideas and emotions into tangible forms. Jewellery making requires dedication, patience and the desire to get involved. Each project is a challenge that calls for a solid technical basis, along with concentration and attention to every detail, research, deep reflection on forms, materials and about the meaning I want to convey.

Sabrina Formica is a rising star: she began her career in 2016 and she started teaching in 2019