Interview with Ana Piazza

Ana Piazza ("AP") interviewed on Wednesday, 6 May.

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

AP : Before taking my first jewellery design course in 2004, I worked in an investment bank in the international area. While taking the course, I decided I had to understand deeply about gemstones because I have always had a passion for them. This passion has to do with my father, who is a geologist, and I grew up listening to him talking about minerals. Pursuing this idea, I took gemological courses in Brazil and in 2007 started the Graduate Gemologist (GG) course with the Gemological Institute of America (GIA-USA), which I finished in 2009. Worked in the gemstone department at Sauer, a Brazilian leading jewellery company, which helped me fine-tune the technical aspect of assessing gemstones in terms of cut, clarity and color. However, besides this gemological expertise, I always imagine a jewellery piece when I see a gemstone I like. After moving to Sao Paulo, I decided in 2010 to focus in the jewellery segment by taking courses on design, silversmithing and creative development in design. Along with that, I started working issuing Identification Reports on special gemstones for jewellers. Later, I became a gemology teacher at the Brazilian Institute for Gemstones and Metals, function I still have. In the end of 2016, I decided to launch my brand, Ana Piazza.

How did you become a designer?

AP : The reason I became a designer was the desire to create jewellery pieces with natural gemstones that conveyed poetry through the stories that inspired them. Because of my gemology background, I have come across a lot of natural gemstones. For all of them, I always imagined a jewellery piece to show their beauty. Creation moves me and makes me feel alive.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

AP : When I design jewellery for my brand, there are some important aspects I do not leave out of my projects. First, I choose a theme inspired by an experience or objetct or feeling. The designs have to reflect the theme. Second, I do not copy from other designers because I love to create. I like to challenge myself. I do rely on technology through the design process. After drawing my sketches, I use a CAD software to draw a 3D model which will be used to print a wax model to create a mold for casting in gold. Before creating the mold, if the wax model needs any technical correction, I fix the 3D drawing and go over the whole process again.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

AP : The whole design process is exciting and provokes unique feelings. It makes me feel empowered, fearless and my mind becomes free of all judgmentes and preset beliefs. When the jewellery piece is ready, I feel complete.

What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?

AP : The most valuable non-design skills designers, artists, architects should have is to understand that we do not know everything and we need to be in constant learning. Learning not only in the educational sense, but also learning about yourself. I value the way I open myself to learn new things and see the old ones from a different perspective. Experiences, feelings, objects, people are all teachers to me. I carry a big influence of my dearest father with me, not just because of his expertise in the geology area, but also because he has taught to be ethical. I have a strong loving bond with him.

What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?

AP : For the future, I want to keep designing jewellery pieces with natural gemstones that convey a story flavoured with poetry. There are some characteristics that I will keep in my designs: movement, asymmetry, volume and interchangeable parts. I am already creating my new collection called Nest, inspired by the feeling of being embraced and feeling secure. I have a dream project of designing a big metal sculpture with natural gemstones.

What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?

AP : Be genuine and authentic in your creations by not copying other designers. Design with your mind free of judgments. You accomplish this authenticity when you filter everything that you see and experience through the story of your life. What you create and design needs to have a purpose.

You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?

AP : My suggestion is to find your own and unique style. You have to feed and provoke your mind with new experiences, feelings, objects. Then, process and deconstruct everything. By doing this, you will be able to find your own style. We are all unique.

What is your day to day look like?

AP : I manage my brand doing tasks such as: interact with clients, create content for social media, manage financial aspects, take hand drawing and CAD jewellery design classes, teach gemology courses. When I work on a new collection once a year, which takes six months from choosing the theme until the products are ready, I reserve 4 hours a day for anything related to it. Something that makes me happy during the day is when I walk to my classes paying attention to everything that might feed my mind.

How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?

AP : I feed my imagination with designs trends, however I do not follow them. There are some characteristics that when I create a collection or a custom piece of jewellery, I make sure there is at least one represented in my designs: movement, asymmetry, volume and interchangeable parts. My jewellery also carries a story. This story comes from the inspiration which I get by feeding my creativity with experiences, exhibitions, buildings, art, dance, music and by observing nature, people and feelings. This allows me to have my own personal design style.

How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?

AP : A good design to me is when the client perceives value in it. Either by fulfilling a need or desire or by causing enchantment. Another aspect that needs to be considered is how innovative the design is. Also, it has to be clear what the design wants to communicate or accomplish. A design has to enchant me to call my attention

How do you decide if your design is ready?

AP : I have the feeling of being complete, to be whole. Then I know that my design is ready and I move on to a new challenge.

What is your biggest design work?

AP : My biggest and favourite design work is the Gabo ring because it has almost all the characteristics which I value the most in a jewellery piece. The ring conveys a story, it has movement, volume and offers interaction. It was inspired by the wish that people experience again the playful side of life. The magic cube, also known as Rubik Cube, was chosen to represent this wish because of the memories of my son playing with it. There were some challenges I had to overcome. First of them was to design modules that would not bend over the ring band. Second, the colored gemstones had to be set very close to each other, with minimal metal appearance between them, in order to resemble a magic cube. Third, the modules had to rotate easily so the user would not have to put any strength. Because of these challenges, I had to make various 3D wax and silver models for testing before casting the final ring in gold.

Who is your favourite designer?

AP : Zaha Hadid is my favourite designer. I would love to talk to her in my dreams.

Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?

AP : I live nowadays in Sao Paulo, Brazil, however, I was born in Para, in the northern region of Brazil, close to the Amazon basin, and grew up in Rio de Janeiro. Cities very different with its own positive and negative aspects, however similar by exhaling joy. Brazil has abundant nature, sunny places, vibrant colors, joyful people. On the other hand, we have many social problems. My culture definitely influences my design projects. My lifestyle also helps me being creative because I like to travel, to meet knew people, to learn new things, to be out in nature. All this feeds my imagination.

Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?

AP : I design only for my brand and my philosophy is to create authentic jewellery pieces. The challenge, besides working alone, is to be innovative. The best way to help my imagination is to feed my mind with new experiences.

What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?

AP : So far, I contribute to society by helping financially some institutions. However soon, I will be doing volunteer work at an NGO. Where I live, there is no humanitarian project related to jewellery. I think it is really nice when artists, designers and architects take the opportunity to get involved with humanitarian projects.

What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?

AP : Attending the A´Design Award challenged me to present a project with excellence, well structured and innovative. It is the first design award that I participate. Now that I know how everything works, I want to participate in future editions and other design competitions. I do believe this highly regarded award will change for better the way people perceive my jewellery design work. I feel honoured to be the Designer of the Day.

Ana Piazza Profile