How Creative Director Vincenzo Castaldo Celebrates 20 years At Pomellato, A Company He Has Transformed Into The Ultimate Jewellery Brand

“Pomellato is like calligraphy; you can change the story, add some chapters, new shapes, techniques but the identity will stay the same”

What better way for Vincenzo Castaldo to celebrate two decades of designing jewellery for Pomellato as the brand’s creative director, than to display a striking new collection of the house’s iconic Nudo jewels? Even better, do it in the heart of Milan, the city that has been an endless source of inspiration for him.

An intersection of design, fashion and striking architecture, Milan has long been the crossroads of creation for Vincenzo who has used its energy to spark jewellery that embodied the “quiet luxury” trend long before that designation became a buzzword. “Pomellato is like calligraphy; you can change the story, add some chapters, new shapes, techniques but the identity will stay the same,” says Vincenzo who describes his pieces as having a sottovoce approach to elegance.

He goes on to explain that the brand’s vision has always been to create pieces that tie together the past with the future. And that preserving traditional craftsmanship is the bedrock the house has been built on. But at the same time, Vincenzo takes pride in seeking new ways to play on both classic and contemporary design. “The dialogue of forgetting the past is a mistake” states Vincenzo.

The Nudo ring itself is the perfect example of honouring tradition in design but approaching it from a new perspective. Twenty years ago it was Vincenzo’s dream to create a ring that reenvisioned the classic solitaire into an accessory that didn’t need a marriage proposal to coincide with purchase. A ring that gave a multifaceted (57 asymmetric facets to be exact) coloured gemstone the place of honour instead of a diamond. Thus freeing the solitaire from its marriage binds so that women could happily buy the ring for themselves. Or even a few and stack them, an organic style choice that has now become something of a house signature look.

Along those same lines of remembering the past but with a view towards the future, the Nudo ring, which celebrated its own 20th anniversary in 2021, has not changed its fundamental design in decades. But that didn’t keep Vincenzo and his team from using technology to come up with an inventive new way to take the Nudo to the next level. Enter the recently launched Nudo Gelé, which is crafted by using a frosted finish to layer different stones together to create a rich and distinctive hue born from a blend of, say, turquoise, mother-of-pearl and blue topaz.

Pomellato has also, under the guiding hand of Vincenzo, launched into the long-established arena of high jewellery, debuting its first collection in 2020, bringing the brand’s modern vision into an unexplored realm of creativity. Vincenzo explains that the skills required to create fine jewellery are different than high jewellery, and as such, the company brought in a dedicated design team to work on the line. The goal, as always for the creative director, was that the designs would stay true to the house codes while simultaneously displaying a creative freedom that continues the evolution of the brand’s daring style.

It’s this dichotomy of past and future that is also at the centre of Pomellato’s latest endeavour, a new art project called Nudo Crafted Emotions. Created by Milanese artist Alberto Maria Colombo, the project is the result of mixing the latest AI technology with photography and painting to craft a singular representation of the colours of the Nudo gemstones as different expressions of emotions. A concept that was realised through both a video shot at the famous Villa Necchi in Milan and portraits that embody the various gemstone sentiments.

But when it comes to sentiments for Vincenzo, the real emotion comes when he spots a woman in one of his designs. “I’m always very proud when I see anyone wearing our brand – not just celebrities,” he confirms. Describing a time, at the Munich airport, when a very elegant woman who was impeccably dressed caught his eye. His gaze instantly fell on her jewellery, and he saw that she was wearing his pieces. He admits that he couldn’t have been prouder.

For Vincenzo, it is not so much about who is wearing his designs, but rather, how they are wearing them. If someone can style his pieces in the way they are intended to be worn, in other words, if they can master the art of mixing the old with the new in much the same way that the Pomellato brand does, then that is the biggest compliment he can receive.

Interview: Nour Bou Ezz. Images: Supplied.

From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s July/August 2023 issue.