QUINTO EGO will be exhibiting at HOMI FASHION&JEWELS EXHIBITION 16 - 19 September 2022
A dedication to sustainability, craftsmanship, design and manufacturing with the ultimate accuracy. HOMI FASHION&JEWELS EXHIBITION explores a cultural challenge, is sustainability an utopian fantasy or a possibility?

So where are you now?

I’m in Carrara, here in Marina di Carrara is where we had our first shop. There is a heritage story to the brand. My partner’s family, they were all jewellers handcrafting the pieces. 

You work mainly with silver?

Yes, mostly silver. We work with gold as well but only on request. Gold has skyrocketed and we've decided to work with silver. We have done some commissioned pieces for Diesel's Black Gold and other brands.

Do you think the silver market is more for the young?

Yes, even if the gold has been taking over recently. We still remain attached to our old silver, we have an unstitched, burnished silver. Also because I think the meaning we want to have in our pieces is not the same with gold. We are artisans, we make an artisanal production, therefore a production that is not for a wide range of people, but is aimed at people who love this type of product. 

You have a certain dark romance vision

Yes, it is a reinterpretation of ancient jewelry. We went back to previous generations where were these rings in gold, with diamonds, rubies, and we revisited that and gave it a more of a rock twist. 

Have you always lived in Carrara?

I lived in Carrara and then I moved to Milan, because I worked for Ugo Cacciatori before working then with Nicola, my copartner opened his own shop. Ugo is also from Carrara, and we had the headquarters here with showrooms  in Milan. I learned a lot. On a theoretical level I learned a lot from Nicola Bastreri. I learned everything by being there and experiencing the work, and I am very proud of it. I didn't go to any kind of school. I was lucky enough to meet Ugo and I started working for him. I was with him for eight years, then I partnered with Nicola. 

Do you sell abroad too?

We are more focused nationally now, not much on the international market yet. We are trying to develop abroad as well. Let's say that we are not yet well known abroad. In Italy we are already known by our work, and also because our brand has been on for 10 years, so an already developed market here, but we want to work internationally too. 

How do you see the handcraft work in the digital era?

Our work is artisanal, and seeing it on video is completely different. When you have the object in your hand, you feel everything behind it. Our objects are supposed to be lived, that is, they are not worn, they are lived. The moment you hold something, beautiful or ugly, you may like it or not, but you feel that it has a soul. The object then merges the soul of the person who wears it. For me, it’s like writing a message on WhatsApp or writing a letter, it’s not the same thing. Of course, digitally you have a wide exposure as a brand, but I think some pieces are meant to be touched and seen in person before buying them. It's not that I'm against the online world, even because it is the future. We are already in the future. From this point of view we are only at the beginning, but there are still many things that you can only do manually.