Creatively Classy

She is feminine and intelligent, follows her own instinct and dares to be different and unique. Her designs are sophisticated, stylish and elegant and to an extent are inspired by nature. She is Vanessa Martinelli. Puja Kumar catches up with this young Swiss designer to know more about her inspirations, dreams and designs…

Hailing from Swiss background, she grew up in one of the most scenic and picturesque landscapes of the world – Switzerland, known as heaven on earth. No wonder, she likes feminine and organic shapes, full of vibrant colours and shades, which somehow influence her design process. Her fondness and love for nature reflects in her designs. “Nature and travelling are an infinite source of inspiration for me. I grew up in Switzerland surrounded by mother nature and it is one of the reasons why I love colours, shades, textures and designs. Also, Japanese pop art and culture is something which inspires me a lot. I love the naivety of the illustration and boom of colours. It is like a reminder of your early days,” says Vanessa with a childish smile.

Since childhood, she had a passion for drawings and designs and never thought she would make a profession out of it. But while she was working as a model, she had a chance to meet famous designers Alexander (Lee) Mc Queen and Sarah Burton, who advised her to pursue career in art and design.

“I had the greatest chance to meet and work for Alexander (Lee) Mc Queen and Sarah Burton in Milan. Their work is a true inspiration. Lee and Sarah advised me to pursue my studies in art and design at Central Saint Martins in London, which I did. As I was not very much interested in fashion designing, I chose the path of jewellery instead,” says she.

Once she graduated from Central Saint Martins, Vanessa continued her studies and joined GIA (Gemological Institute of America) in New York city. After passing out, she travelled all over where opportunity came knocking at her door. “I worked for many iconic jewellery houses worldwide, from De Beers Diamonds Jewellers in London, to Hodel in Hong Kong, every experience added incredible knowledge which helped shape my style and aesthetic. Working as a chief designer for the biggest brands in the industry, like DeBeers Diamond, was a great achievement for me.”

While working, she collaborated with fine jewellery and exclusive watch brands in Switzerland, as well as abroad. It was a wonderful opportunity for her to work with the most incredible brands and reputed luxury goods, which not only recognized her work but also helped in gaining a name in the industry. She further adds, “I did brand developing for luxury brands, helping from design to brand image. It was such an amazing thing to see my face and my jewellery creations, all in the same photos, across billboards and catalogues. And I do the same for my brand as well. I believe in adding an emotional and intimate touch to what I create and communicate to the end client through emotions and images.”

Jewellery designing is never easy. From selecting a particular design to giving it a final shape in production, everything goes through lot of trial and test. Especially, the technical part of a jewellery piece can also be a challenge. So, was there any jewellery piece which was toughtest or most unique for Vannessa to design ? “ ‘The Garden’ collection, is incredible and at the same time is bit complicated, as it has pave all around it. They are like pieces of art and are quite delicate, where one has to wear it with care. These were my very first creations which I made in Switzerland with the best goldsmith in the world. The designs were very colorful and organic in shapes. I wanted the pieces to be completely covered in pave of stones. The little stones were attached with each other and were framing with a big coloured stone at the center. I mixed contrasting colors in a daring way, as to challenge people’s view of what a jewellery piece looks like: pink with green and yellow with blue.”

For Vanessa, her designs are like a world of sculptural pieces in form of a jewellery piece. Some of these one-off creations are still in her collections. “I wish these should be purchased by someone who respects beauty and its designs. There is a ring in particular that I am still not ready to let go as it is one of my favorite piece. I will sell it one day maybe, the day I will find the right person falling deeply in love with the craftsmanship and creative value of the piece,” she says with a glitter in her eyes.

Speaking about her latest collection, Vanessa informs us about ‘Arabian Nights’, where her designs, are made out of 18kt white gold and diamonds pave. The inspiration is orient and is a tribute to the mystical women, she at times encounters while travelling ! “My newest collection is “Arabian Nights” which comprises different cultures and is intended to women from all over the world. It evokes a mesmerising glamour through its special forms responding to the one that comes from within a woman. What brings all these women together is their charismatic nature, their love of life and their wish to treasure every beautiful moment.” Vanessa loves working with 18kt gold as she thinks it has the most beautiful finish and is always easy to craft in various designs. Diamonds, on the other hand she feels, are the most exciting gemstones known for its sparkle and durability. However, since she loves bright colors, she therefore, uses a lot of colored stones such as amethyst, tourmalines and colored sapphires.

She believes that as every stone has its own beauty, a good design always helps in enhancing it. The design together with the choice of metals, stones, craftsmanship and finishing is what makes a jewellery piece completely unique and valuable. “I love coloured diamonds. The pink one is my absolute favourite. Since I love big sized stones and make my jewellery precious but easy to wear on a daily basis, I find coloured gemstones are perfect to fulfill all my creative ideas. I use purple amethysts, peridot, yellow and orange citrines, acquamarines, multicolour sapphires in my designs. For me, diamonds are more durable and therefore more interesting to work with and wear on the long term. The sparkle of diamonds is like no other stones. I love stones such as opals and turquoises as well. However, they are quite fragile and delicate,” she describes while talking about her preferences on coloured diamonds and gemstones she uses for her creations.

A designer always looks forward to a style icon and feels incomplete without her muse. As a jewellery designer, Venessa too, is no exception. From Liz Taylor, Cleopatra, Julia Roberts, to Cindy Crawford and Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai, Venessa has a wish list, where she wants her designs to be worn by these past and present icons. “I would love to see women across all cultures and times wearing my pieces. Liz Taylor and Cleopatra wearing my diamonds exclusive creations. Romy Schneider with my ‘Arabian Nights’ earrings. Asian actresses Gong Li, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi wearing my ‘Dragon Kiss’and gorgeous Indian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan would surely look stunning in my ‘Stella’ creations,” desiresVanessa, who adore these women as she likes their sophistication, style and elegancy.

Fine Jewellery is always very intimate and personal. Vanessa feels that a woman who wears her creations should always have sentimental values to the pieces she buys, associating each of her jewelery with a specific time of her life or commemoration. It can be something big or a small, a personal achievement, which she only knows about. This, she feels is the power of jewellery. “The woman who wears my jewellery is a woman, who understands the artistic style and luxury of the piece in a sophisticated and ethnic manner. At the same time, she should appreciate the value and quality of the jewellery she buys,” says Vanessa.

Throwing light on her personal style statement, this young designer loves wearing colourful outfits. For jewellery, she likes wearing delicate precious rings, pendants and earrings for everyday and glamorous big pieces. “My Italian side makes me love colorful outfits and be confident in wearing feminine clothes. Your look is the extension and expression of yourself and it can also influence your mood as well. As for jewellery, delicate precious rings, pendants and earrings are for everyday use and glamorous big pieces are meant for evening or any other day you feel like sparkling a little more.”

From jewels and designs, we moved to Venessa’s personal life, interest and likes. Travelling, painting, meditation, yoga is what she loves to do in her leisure time. “I love painting, mostly in water colour. That was my first approach to art. I would have loved to be a painter. I feel, yoga and meditation, is the best way to reconnect with your body and mind, as this is one of the best ways to deal with the stress of contemporary lifestyle,” says the ace designer. Though there is no fix routine, her days are occupied with professional commitments. “There is no routine as I am doing so many things at once. There are days when I draw for new design commissions, and do jewellery events. At times, I have photo shoots, either for my new jewellery products or for my campaign images. Then, there is the graphic side to follow, website, images, photos and marketing material. There is always so much to do! No time to get bored at all.”

Though Venessa’s designs are beautiful, attractive and eye catching, she admires new independent designers who are creative, unique and original. Venessa likes Wallace Chan for his incredible sculptural pieces, colours and appreciates brands such as Van Cleef & Arpels for their organic, dreamy, asymmetric story telling pieces and craftsmanship. “I really like these brands and adore DeBeers for their modern approach to diamonds. And I am glad to see my creations in their collections.” As Venessa rushed for another meeting, we quickly asked her advice for budding and aspiring designers, “Love what you do, be as creative as you can, learn from the industry, collect ideas, images and anything that can spark inspiration. Be experimental and always think out of the box. Create, what is real to you, express your own vision and identity. Don’t do what everyone else is doing, find your own path,” she concludes.