“In Italy, creativity is very important and recognized in everything, in all that is produced here.” – Leo Pizzo
In 1971, Sara Di Giorgio Pizzo and Leo Pizzo started a jewelry brand together. Forty-five years later, the family business is going strong with a second generation poised to add their expertise to the ever-changing landscape of the jewelry industry.
The Leo Pizzo brand has prov
en itself as world-class, exhibiting outstanding craftsmanship and style on a global scale; but unlike other businesses, whose desire for growth might lure them into the cold world of mechanized factories and armies of anonymous laborers, Leo Pizzo continues to handcraft all their precious creations in the small town of Valenza, Italy.
In the early days, Leo moved to this quiet Italian town on the banks of the Po River because he was attracted to its tradition of master craftsmanship that has been handed down for almost two centuries. Known throughout the world as “The City of Gold”, one might be surprised when visiting this sleepy little town. It is deceptively free of glamour for how much glitz is being created behind the humble doors of its workshops. About 8,000 of the town’s estimated 20,000 inhabitants are in some way involved in the crafting of precious materials. Imagine that you happen to wander into this little hamlet and you knock on a random door. Your chance of entering a room full of gold, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, aquamarines, topazes, tourmalines, or pearls could be higher than any other town in the world; definitely so in Italy.
Every year Valenza artisans, filling commissions for clients like Cartier, Chopard, Bulgari, and Rolex, work with 80% of the precious stones imported into Italy and at least thirty tons of gold. The wo
rkshops of Valenza are mostly small or family-run businesses, often with as few as 2 or 3 artisans involved in the actual crafting. Together, the 1200 workshops of Valenza create a symbiotic web of rare specialities, from stone setting to etching, to varnishing and more.
The earth offers an abundance of gorgeous gemstones in an array of dazzling colors, and Leo Pizzo jewelry is well known for utilizing the full spectrum. “In jewelry design, color is very important as it enhances the imagination,” says Sara. “The same jewel with different colored stones has a different look and meaning.” When selecting the stones, purity is not the only factor under consideration. The cut and rarity of the stone is also of high importance as these qualities guarantee both beauty and eminence.
“I work with my hands. All is born by this creativity with one’s hands, so it is a pure art, but it is also absolutely a pure pleasure to do jewelry,” says Leo.
The company uses both traditional and modern techniques to fashion its precious objects. “Stones have different characteristics, and consequently the techniques have to consider that,” says Sara. One of the crafts in which the company has especially distinguished itself as a world leader is the Pavé technique. A form of bead setting developed in the early 1900s, Pavé takes its name from the French word that refers to “paving”, like that of a cobblestone street. It is a process where a metal surface is literally paved with precious gems. Set very close to each other directly into the metal, about 1 millimeter apart, the precious stones create a continuous line of sparkles, resembling a scintillating cobblestone street.
One example of the impressive Pavé technique can be seen in the Leo Pizzo Anchor collection. The anchor is an important symbol for the company because it represents balance and continuity. Of the many designs available, the anchor shown here is offered as a unisex item that can be paired with a simple chain of the same color or a more elegant pavé version with a multi-wire chain enriched by the matching pavé barrel.
The anchors are available in white gold as well as two other colors. Always considering the poetry of the precious objects they create, Leo Pizzo fashions the anchor in yellow gold to express warmth of feeling or red gold for passion.
“Surely jewelry will exist forever, because it always existed. For example, the snake bracelet exists since the Egyptian’s age and nowadays we continue to produce this kind of bracelet.” – Leo Pizzo
Just as their business continues to blossom, anchored in the deep tradition of Italy’s City of Gold, Sara and Leo Pizzo are an example of how a family can flourish when anchored in the right priorities. “I have a great family, a great relation with my wife and my children,” says 
Leo. “This gives me serenity and tranquillity and allows me to do what I do without problems, without fear of making mistakes. If someone is serene they can succeed to give serenity to his own trade and his own work. I am lucky because I work in peace and this peace allows me to do whatever I want to do, whatever I like, and fortunately I do beautiful things.”
Leo Pizzo’s masterful creations are available in dealerships around the world; in their three Italian boutiques in Milan, Sicily; and right here in Rome on Via del Babuino #154.
