Valentina Romen

Eigenart

Jewellery maker

©Valentina Romen

©ERomen

Bronze treasures

Valentina grew up in the mountains
She used to be a fine art restorer
Her special technique is lost wax casting

A passion for art and architecture and a degree in Art History led Valentina Romen to work in the fine art scene for many years, as a restorer and organiser of museum and gallery exhibitions. But manual work has always been an unfulfilled desire, at least until she attended the Scuola Orafa Ambrosiana in Milan, and she became a jewellery maker. “In 2017, I decided to devote myself completely to jewellery making and this became my job. It’s a dream-like profession, I’m very grateful that I’m able to express my creativity through carefully selected shapes and materials, like bronze and clay. Jewellery is not merely the fusion of metals, but rather visions coming from distant worlds,” she explains.

Interview

©ERomen

©ERomen

Do you remember your first commissioned piece?: Of course. It was a series of jewellery dedicated to the dance world. Small bronze sculptures, sinuous bodies, by themselves or in pairs. Once you wear them, you discover how their movement naturally follows your own body.
What techniques do you employ the most?: My absolute favourite is the lost wax casting, a process that allows you to create first a wax model of the object and then a ceramic mould. Through holes in the ceramic, the wax is released from the mould by heating and molten bronze replaces the form it has left.
Why did you choose bronze?: Bronze is made of copper and tin, it’s a hard material with warm shades, which reacts to air and the ph of the skin of the wearer. It often triggers my creativity, because when a mistake occurs, I have to fix it. So, I transform it, often using resin.
Is jewellery your only passion?: I love photography as well. With my jewellery I create settings where the piece becomes the subject of a natural scenography and artificial landscapes. And then I take pictures and I film videos.

Valentina Romen is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2012