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By Russell Shor
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Federico Stocco, director of GIA Florence
Photos courtesy
of GIA Florence
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Florence, Italy, which embodies the innovation and artistic achievements of the Renaissance period that first blossomed there, continues to celebrate those qualities today.
A prime example of Florentine architecture, according to Il Principe di Stigliano don Prospero Colonna, is a building he owns on Piazza Santa Trinita, close to the heart of the city. He was addressing diamond grading students on the history of GIA's new home, Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni. He told the students that the building, begun in 1520 as the Renaissance reached its zenith, took three years to complete.
"The builder was a merchant named Bertolini who paid 5500 gold florins for its construction while the architect, Baccio d'Agnolo, received two florins per week," he said, adding that perhaps he should have received more because of the building's stature among the city's historical landscape.
That's quite an achievement in a city that produced Leonardo da Vinci.
Federico Stocco, director of GIA Florence, when introducing don Prospero to the class, noted that GIA Italy's proximity to such historic architecture is what he thinks makes the campus unique among its international operations and why he wanted to move it there in 2006.
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Livia Bianchini left the gold shops in the famed Ponte Vecchio (background) for a GIA gemological education that would set her above the competition.
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"Jewelry artisans have been active here since the 13th century, perhaps even earlier, and there's still a strong Florentine tradition of goldsmithing to this day," Stocco said.
Franco Torrini, the managing director of Torrini, which has been making jewelry in the city since 1369, was one of the strongest advocates for GIA to move from Vicenza to Florence.
"GIA is the best reputed [gemological] school in the world," he said, adding that he's wanted a presence there ever since he met former Chairman Richard T. Liddicoat 30 years ago at a De Beers-sponsored conference on industry education.
Torrini, whose company creates jewelry pieces for clients worldwide, also has two retail stores, one in the city, another in Sardinia, and looks to hire GIA grads.
Gherardo Noce, who was in the first GIA Florence Graduate Gemologist class three years ago, has been a sales associate at Torrini's Florence location since graduation.
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GIA Florence students study state-of-the-art gemology amid traditional surroundings to derive the best of both.
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"I had no family in the business, or connections, but I had a passion for gems so when GIA came here, I enrolled as soon as I could," he said.
The rewarding part for him, and one of the reasons behind his success there (he's quite often the month's top associate), is that he can bring all of the knowledge he gained in grading and identifying gemstones to the rich traditions of Florentine goldsmithing.
Indeed, that is what Torrini is looking for.
"We are the oldest jewelry business in the world and the ninth oldest family business in the world. These traditions are valuable, but they only mean something if you pay attention to the future," Torrini said. "And a GIA-educated staff helps us do this."
Livia Bianchini, a native Florentine, wants to parlay her study into working with a prestigious jewelry house.
"I have always loved beautiful things and worked several years with jewelers on the Ponte Vecchio, [the famed Renaissance-era bridge lined with gold shops]," she said.
With some 40 jewelers in such close proximity, the competition is very intense. She enrolled at GIA with an eye to set herself above the competition, and move beyond those shops, which nearly exclusively sell gold pieces.
"The gemology classes were quite difficult, but that was rewarding because I gained a great deal of pride from knowing I am getting the best such education in the world, and a title I can take anywhere," she said.
GIA Italy was established in Vicenza 16 years ago and has always attracted a very diverse group of international students, Stocco said. Local students want to study gemology and jewelry design, but many foreign students – especially from the East – Estonia, Latvia, Turkey and Romania – are looking to study in Florence for the cultural experience. He believes the move to Florence is attracting many more international students, though the housing situation in the city is often fairly tight.
Leading from Piazza Santa Trinita is Via Tornobouni, which holds such top jewelers as Bulgari, Tiffany & Co. and Cartier, where a number of GIA Florence graduates have gone to work, Stocco said. Others have gone to work in stores and manufacturing operations throughout Europe. "Because of this, the GIA brand is becoming well-known in Eastern Europe, which gives us a good foundation to build on," Stocco said.
In the three years of its presence there, GIA has become an invaluable member of the local jewelry community, said Stocco. This a role he intends to expand as time goes on.
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