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Bea Bongiasca’s ‘Tarallo’ Collection Expansion Is a Zoo
The pieces in “Animali Tarallo” portray animals from stingrays to elephants through portraits and interpretations of their patterns.
Bea Bongiasca’s “Dory Tarallo” earrings reimagine the Royal Blue Tang fish in silver with hand-painted enamel detailing ($1,000). They are seen here in the designer’s “Under the Sea” immersive installation by Italian paper artist Mauro Seresini.
Milan—Bea Bongiasca has expanded her “Tarallo” collection with pieces certain to appeal to animal lovers.
Based on the curled shape of Italian taralli crackers, the limited-edition “Animali Tarallo” collection features hand-painted enamel animal portraits and interpretations of different species’ fur or scales on rings and earrings.
Animali Tarallo was created as a nod to Bongiasca’s lifelong admiration for the beauty of nature and its unmatched artistry, the brand said.
The rings represent the diversity of the animal kingdom, including mammals, amphibians, and mollusks, while the earrings show the kaleidoscopic beauty of creatures’ bold, colorful designs.
Instead of focusing on leopard or zebra print, Bongiasca reimagined the hues and patterns of tropical fish, nudibranchs, and tree frogs.
Based on the curled shape of Italian taralli crackers, the limited-edition “Animali Tarallo” collection features hand-painted enamel animal portraits and interpretations of different species’ fur or scales on rings and earrings.
Animali Tarallo was created as a nod to Bongiasca’s lifelong admiration for the beauty of nature and its unmatched artistry, the brand said.
The rings represent the diversity of the animal kingdom, including mammals, amphibians, and mollusks, while the earrings show the kaleidoscopic beauty of creatures’ bold, colorful designs.
Instead of focusing on leopard or zebra print, Bongiasca reimagined the hues and patterns of tropical fish, nudibranchs, and tree frogs.
Bea Bongiasca’s “Tree Frog Tarallo” ring with “ocean blue” enamel over .925 silver and a hand-painted enamel frog portrait is her favorite ring and the first piece she drew for this collection ($920).
“It was very difficult to choose what to do as I had so many ideas, but in the end, I decided to work on animal prints for the earrings and more literal animals for the rings, as it is easier to read the animals on the rings than it is on earrings,” Bongiasca said.
“I have done a lot of research on tropical fish as I find that they have the most beautiful colors, so for the prints I concentrated mainly on that, as well as some more classic zebra as well. For the animals it does seem like an odd group, but they really worked well with the ‘Tarallo’ shape, and I loved the final effect and how they are similar but different.”
The first drop of the Animali Tarallo collection is set to debut with 11 styles on April 8, coordinating with Milan Design Week.
Stingrays, zebras, snakes, nautiluses, Tang fishes, elephants, horses, tree frogs, clownfishes, and parrotfishes all came to life through enamel paintings over either sterling silver or, for one style, 9-karat yellow gold.
The brand collaborated with an enamel artist to create these unique paintings that are layered on top of base colors.
“I had so much fun designing all of them. Usually when I draw a jewel, it takes a long time to get from the idea to the finished piece but with this collection, it was the opposite,” Bongiasca said. “The hardest part was limiting the amount of pieces I was designing.”
A second release of pieces in the Animali Tarallo collection is set for September.
The continuation of the collection will include darker colorways, additional animals, and more customization options.
As a tribute to Bongiasca’s favorite animal—the cat—she will launch a special feline lover’s capsule collection. Clients will be able to custom-order a hand-painted portrait of their cat on a Tarallo ring.
The collection retails from $900 and will be available on the Bea Bongiasca website, at the brand’s flagship boutique, and at select retailers worldwide.
Bongiasca has also already started taking custom orders for clients requesting pet portraits; “to my joy, especially cats,” she said.
To celebrate the launch of the Animali Tarallo collection, the brand collaborated with Italian paper artist Mauro Seresini on paper installations depicting the animals in their natural habitats.
Seresni’s immersive “Under the Sea” installation will debut with Bongiasca’s April trunk show at Dover Street Market in London.
Seen in one of Mauro Seresini’s paper scenes are the one-of-a-kind “Albino Burmese Python Tarallo” earrings, at top, and, at bottom, is the one-of-a-kind “Snake Tarallo” custom ring (prices starting at $1,000 and $920, respectively)
After a month, the trunk show will travel to the Dover Street Market locations in Singapore and the United States.
Recently, Bongiasca has been in the news for more than just her jewelry designs.
The New York Times featured her 800-square-foot Milan apartment in T, its style magazine.
Bongiasca gave the Times a tour of her home alongside her long-haired cat Fat Momo, describing the two-story loft as being designed “like a jewelry box.”
The interior is covered in acid green and hot pink, with a “conversation pit” (a sunken living room) filled with modular red cubes and lime green linoleum floor tiles in the kitchen.
Italian architect Massimiliano Locatelli, a longtime friend of Bongiasca’s mother, designed the living room.
Throughout her home there are objects and books that Bongiasca has collected when visiting Japan—Sailor Moon graphic novels, cat figurines including Hello Kitty and maneki neko, and a plush version of Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara’s scowling girls.
Italian architect Massimiliano Locatelli, a longtime friend of Bongiasca’s mother, designed the living room.
Throughout her home there are objects and books that Bongiasca has collected when visiting Japan—Sailor Moon graphic novels, cat figurines including Hello Kitty and maneki neko, and a plush version of Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara’s scowling girls.
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