Adam's FINE JEWELLERY & WATCHES 17th May 2022

T uesday 17 th M ay 2022 . S tarting at 4 pm 126 199 A SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND RING The central cushion-shaped sapphire between a single-cut diamond trip, within raised collet-setting, mounted in 18K gold, ring size N½ € 1,200 - 1,800 The brainchild of a marketing and advertising studio owner and a scion of a legendary jewellery house, Giò Caroli was founded inValenza in 1970 by Carlo Ciarli and Giovanni Illar- io. The mission of the brand was to introduce fresher, more lively jewellery to the market that was both sturdy yet stylish to allow for everyday wear. Their designs focused heavily on the layering and repetition of geometric shapes, such semi-circles, circles and rectangles, creating clean lines that spoke to the inherent modernity of the brand. Burnished steel appeared alongside gold, a move that leant the pieces durability but also spoke to the econom- ic crisis facing Italy in 1970s which led to the past trend of flashy jewellery and ornamentation lapse in favour of more industrial designs.Yet far from pieces of only a certain era, the jewellery of Giò Caroli was in many ways ahead of its time, so much so in fact that between 1974-75, the brand began to introduce smaller, more conventional jewellery designs to their collections to appeal to the younger generation of the era. Although burnished steel and gold were still de rigueur, enamel and semi-precious stones were added to switch things up and create a more diverse look. Giò Caroli was sold in 1983 to an Anglo-Arab group based in Milan, but production for the brand continued until the mid- 1990s. The works of Giò Caroli endure because Ciarli and Giovanni could sense the changing times they lived in and appreciated the need to create jewellery that was more affordable and ap- pealing to younger generations.This insight freed their jewel- lery from dating in style and their works remain ever contem- porary as a result.