Spotlight On: Federica Rettore
Federica Rettore is an Italian jewelry designer who was first an artist, A talented sculptor from a very young age, she had pieces represent the New Liberal Art Academy of Milan in 1989, before she even graduated college. In 1991 she graduated in Plastic Art Research at the New Liberal Art Academy and almost immediately began an apprenticeship as a jewelry designer with one of the most renowned firms in Milan: Misani Jewelers, Donatella Pellini. Here she really learned the art of jewelry design as well as the business of selling that type of jewelry in the marketplace.
By 1994 she had her own company called Rettore, in hopes of designing and producing her own line of fine jewelry. Her work has bloomed from there over the past 19 plus years and is now sold all over the world. In 2011 she even won a Couture design award for the colored gemstones below $20,000 category. This was awarded to her 18 karat gold earrings with rose cut and brilliant cut diamonds, more than 6 carats of multi colored sapphires, fossil coral and gun-barrel stainless steel. A phenomenal piece that was one culmination of Rettore’s artistic talents in the jewelry design world.
The Retorre collections are carried in international upscale stores in cities everywhere, like New York, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Aspen and Vail. She also sells her work in Japan, Puerto Rico and Hong Kong. A wide number of fashion and jewelry magazines have also highlighted her collections through various articles and features, ranging from Elle to Vogue all over the world and W Magazine. Even while designing her own jewelry for her own company Rettore managed the design team of Gucci’s jewelry line, reporting to Frida Giannini, the Art Director of the fashion house Gucci.
Rettore makes necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets, covering most avenues of the fine jewelry landscape. Her rings all feature 18 karat gold with rare and unique stones often grouped together and layered on top of each other in artistic ways. Other unique materials are also used, like cabochon moonstone and black Zebu horn. Her necklaces range between groupings of a number of different types of stones like Tanzanite and tourmaline, to heavier necklaces made from black steel with diamonds inset in sections in groups. Bracelets are just as diverse as the necklaces. Some are cuffs that flaunt large rare stones and small collections of precious stones, while others mix materials from opposite ends of the design spectrum like leather bracelets and multi-colored sapphires. The Retorre earrings harken back to the style and design of the rings and considering the earrings made by her are the most recognized pieces, they are arguably the most elegant. Most of the earrings from her collections feature rare stones and precious stones grouped together in unique and artistic ways, like flat cut emeralds with rose cut brown diamonds, or boulder opal with rose cut brown diamonds. It is this layering and grouping of these types of stones and their colors which is trademark Retorre.