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DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?

: Nature is one of the main sources of inspiration for this design in terms of shapes, light, composition and texture. In these earrings, simple and essential, one continuous piece of metal is delicately folded creating the shape of a leaf. The metal is slightly textured through the hammering thecnique to increase the variety of light reflections on it. The design is totally handmade and it can be realised in brass, aluminium, sterling silver or gold. There are no first or second class metals, they all have unique qualities that can be highlighted through their manipulation.

DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?

: I wanted to create a piece of jewellery which was light both in its weight and aesthetic. I wanted it to be simple and wearable everyday.

DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?

: I hope that, getting more visibility, I will start to sell this piece (and others) in boutiques or though companies. I would also be interested in starting a collaboration with other jewellery designers or artists.

DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?

: The process of design of this piece went though two phases and a lot of time passed between the first idea and realisation of the prototype and the final design.

DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?

: It wasn't a commission, I designer the earrings for myself. I hate to wear heavy pieces of jewellery, especially earrings, so I decided to design something that I could almost forget to be wearing, but that would still be visible and look beautiful.

DI: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?

: This design is not sold by any company at the moment. I would like to produce the work myself, but I am open to different possibilities.

DI: What made you design this particular type of work?

: Both a practical reason, the will to design a light weight earring which wouldn't look completely "invisible" and the inspiration to nature.

DI: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?

: I often work on many pieces at the same time and every piece constantly influences the others.

DI: Who is the target customer for his design?

: Women like me, who want to wear a special accessory on a daily basis.

DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?

: The simplicity and coherence in its concept, aesthetic and execution.

DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?

: It comes from the inspiration for it: leaves and nature. You will also find the design with the name of "Zefiro" on my website. Zefiro is the name of the greek God of wind, that's a reference to the lightness of the earrings.

DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?

: My hands are my primary tool. Then, silver and bronze as materials and all the basic tools used in jewellery.

DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?

: The lightness and simplicity.

DI: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?

: I didn't collaborate with anyone to realise this design. I work alone.

DI: What is the role of technology in this particular design?

: Technology helps in the final steps of the realisation, but most of the work is done by hand.

DI: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?

: Yes, my work as a jewellery designer is constantly influenced by other disciplines. Above all, architecture, which is my other great passion and job, but also art, photography, science or music. I look at books and make researches online on topics that I find interesting. I use the phone to take photographs of things that catch my attention every day. It's funny to see how, after weeks or months, the object or moment that I photographed comes back into my mind and becomes an inspiration.

DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?

: I realised the design when I was still learning a lot about the techniques to use, especially in working with silver. I think that my naivety made the design even more interesting in the end.

DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?

: I was driven by the curiosity of participating to a big Design Competition. It was my first one and I would have never imagined to win an Award!

DI: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?

: I did the prototipe for these earrings a long time ago. It was one of my first works approaching silver, but I wasn’t convinced at the beginning and I left them incomplete. Then, almost one year later, I found them in a box and started to work again, with more knowledge and self confidence. To me, they represent my growth as a jewellery designer.

DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?

: No, thank you. It was a broad interview. If you want to see more of my design please don't hesitate to visit my website: www.laurmicheli.com or contact me.