meet Giorgio Torelli .. a man with more than just good looks

Once again let me sing the glories and wonders of the internet... this time of Instagram! That is where I “met” Giorgio and I would be lying if I said that my immediate attention wasn’t because of his beauty! As I have said so many times, you just never know who is really behind the image that you see and again I was so pleasantly surprised to find that this exquisite man has more to say than just posting images of his own perfection.

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As I have aged, I feel a compulsion and an admiration for those who are either expanding their careers, reinventing themselves or simply taking a divergent path... I have a weakness for them as I have certainly reinvented myself so many times during my varied careers. I’m endlessly amazed with the reception I receive from, basically strangers, who respond and will open up about their aspirations, inspirations and personal preferences .... simply said there is a real genuine human behind the photos I have seen. Once again, I remind you, I am a reader so hashtags tell me a story and that is why I struck up a “relationship” of sorts with Giorgio.

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His premier collection of jewelry is a total mix of what is and what was in terms of design .... from lavaliers to lapel pins and from diamonds to topaz. All the pieces are made in the USA and all from sustainable materials and ethically mined stones. He makes as much of a statement with his jewels as he does with his looks!

Well now it is his turn to share with us what lurks behind his incredible images... so in his own words (with very little editing from me) ... allow me to introduce to you Giorgio Torelli:

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Jeffrey Felner: Let’s talk about how you became “Giorgio Torelli” 2021... in other words a brief history of your personal and professional trajectory.

Giorgio Torelli: I use to play soccer semi professional in Italy and I finished my degree like dietician and nutrition.

All of this teaches me that work can make your dream came true. After I decide to move to Australia and here my love for photography born. I started modelling after I had been a scout from one agency. I worked for many brand and learnt a lot of new things. Then I decide that I wanted something more so I started my brand.

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 JF: What is your dream job and what would be your dream collaboration?

GT: Probably I don’t have a dream job, I just live to create and feeling free

I want to keep create things I love, discover new places and grow everyday like a person. I love dsquared so If I can chose my dream collaboration, it will be this...I wish one day I can model for them

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 JF: If you could invite any 5 people to dinner, who would they be and why?

GT: 5 people to spend dinner 

1-Megan fox : I think she is perfect  2-David Bechkam as he was my idol since I was a kid, 3:Stephen King I love his history, 4:  Steve Jobs because  I would like to learn from him and  Gandhi because I read a lot about him and want to know more.

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 JF: What inspires you to do what you do?  any mentors that you have followed or use a “road map” for your life?

GT: I love one jewellery brand NIALAYA by Janie Oleander 

He inspire me a lot with his brand and I follow Johnny Edling I met him in Bali and he is really good. 

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JF:Let’s not speak of Giorgio in the present but in the next 5 years... where do you hope to see yourself and how will get you there and why?

GT: I don’t know where I will be in 5 years but I’m sure that I’ ll live as much as I can torealise my dream, probably I will be in one island

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 follow Giorgio on Instagram under his name and torellijewelry for more...

www.torelli-jewelry.com/

meet OTTO JAKOB... a jeweler's jeweler

 If you are a fan of the heritage brands of haute joallier or only of the major well-known names then the work of Otto Jakob may not be your cup of tea! Honestly, I had never heard of him or seen his work before I reviewed his book (Otto Jakob: Ripe Fruit) and it did not take me long to become intrigued and astounded by what this man creates in every classification from necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, brooches to even cuff links.

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If you consider yourself among the cognoscenti of fine jewelry or a self-proclaimed authority on that subject and you do not know of Jakob’s work then you need to do some extra research as well as read this interview and buy his book. Seeing his oeuvre broadens and ignites a different way of viewing and appreciating fine jewelry as well as exponentially expanding one’s knowledge of fine jewelry.

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Otto Jakob stands with very artisan jewelers who don’t follow a trend and may not have a specific aspect or signature that places or defines them and slots them into one specific category… think JAR, Taffin de Givenchy, Verdura and possibly even Belperron as each are so multifaceted (pun intended) in how they created their masterpieces. It is only the most discerning and trained eye that could possibly identify every piece that these artists have created. Yes, there are some pieces that are emblematic of each yet the vast majority is comprised of the wild imaginings of the artist which are then turned into reality. 

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Otto Jakob is a jeweler’s jeweler!

 Jeffrey Felner: Can you give us some background as to how you arrived at your profession?

Can you give us some background as to how you arrived  Otto Jakob: When I was a young man, my aspiration was to become an artist, a great one. I believed that this would take place in the fine arts: painting or sculpture.

At the art school I applied to the class of Georg Baselitz, and early on had this rare opportunity to learn from an artist whose work I admired. I learned a lot from him, both about art and about myself. Finally, I came to the conclusion that my destiny was elsewhere. It was a stressful realization that occupied my thoughts for some time until it culminated in a vision: all of a sudden, there was a burst—a cascade—of jewelry ideas, wild and wonderful and original. It was my future work, yet to be made. Then I finally knew what I wanted to do, and only needed to learn how. From that arose the will to learn from teachers long gone, for I found the work of the living ones too boring and conventional, an impoverished form of expression that used to be much richer.

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 JF: You have a unique way of expressing your creativity in terms of subject:  what would you say is your favored classification to work in and why? Are they all one of a kind?

OJ: My initial idea was something like this: to learn the old techniques that were already out of use and to achieve a new, rich, modern narrative; analyze and bring old styles into a new context. Over the subsequent four decades, I have developed an independent iconography, my own visual language, a vocabulary, so to speak, in which only I am fluent.

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 JF: From where do you draw your inspirations and who do you believe is your target customer and where might one buy your jewelry?

OJ: Much of my work is one-of-a-kind, and the target customer is an international network of art and fine jewelry admirers who follow my development closely. The majority of my pieces is purchased by these collectors. I work with ten people to produce about 100 pieces each year. They can be purchased only directly from me, either at my atelier, or at one of the two fairs where I currently exhibit —TEFAF Maastricht and TEFAF New York Fall. This “routine” has been, of course, recently interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, a circumstance that I find more stimulating than hindering. As an artist, you are led by the ideas that come from the inside rather than the outside influences such as market demands, and by the conviction that these ideas will create the market.

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 JF: If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would they be and why?

OJ: Francis Bacon, Henry Purcell, Prince, Johann Sebastian Bach and Miles Davis because they were and are my most admired artists, composers, and musicians in addition to having the greatest impact on the consistency of my work.

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 JF: If you could have any collaboration, who would it be with and why? 

OJ: I have no interest in jewelry brands, and neither they in my work. The only collaborations I ever did were with fellow artists such as Jörg Immendorff and Georg Baselitz. For Immendorff I made a small collection of pieces that took inspiration from his own art. It was a personal project for him and his wife, and it was never available commercially. Georg Baselitz has been my very first client, and we have collected each other’s work ever since the very start. So, when he first tried his hand at jewelry, as part of his ‘Darkness, Goldness’ project at the White Cube, his pieces were made at my atelier.

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www.ottojakob.com/en

www.instagram.com/ottojakob_official