Roberta Pederzoli

I am an Italian jewellery designer/maker living in Scotland. My philosophy can be summarised in the following way: "I do not want my jewellery to be perfect. There is no such thing as perfection. After years of struggling, chasing perfection, I finally understood that this is not possible and that I needed to let it go. I like my jewellery to spring into life, showing vulnerability and transformation. I love when it oxidises and colours fade and change, showing the mutation of time. The only thing we can be sure of is that nothing stays the same. We are surrounded by constant change, evolution and transmutation. Nevertheless, I see real beauty in this. The beauty of imperfection, the beauty of authenticity..."

Q&A

Artist Statement

Roberta Pederzoli from Quinta Essenza designs tactile jewellery, inspired by organic forms observed during her walks in Scottish woodlands. Every piece is carefully crafted with consideration of texture and colour to recreate a sensation of fairy-tale elegance and enchantment. Being born and raised in Italy, Roberta creates pieces where Scottish landscape inspiration and Italian aesthetic sense merge together.

What craft do you work with?

I am a jewellery designer/maker. In recent years, following a commission of medals by Perth Cathedral, Scotland, I have also approached a new creative field: medal making.

What inspires you to work with this craft?

My fascination with metals started a long time ago, when as a child I was secretly pleased every time a temperature thermometer fell, breaking and releasing its mercury inside. Despite knowing it was dangerous, I loved playing with it, separating the mercury into little spheres and hypnotically watching them merge together.

However for many years afterwards I did not pursue any path which involved working with metals, stones, fire or soldering. It was only when I was playing with my daughter in a park in Italy, making necklaces and little crowns by joining daisies together, as I used to do as a child, that I suddenly realised I wanted to learn how to make jewellery.

How do you start your creative process?

I love walking in the woods. Scottish woodlands are enchanted places that encourage staying in the present moment, and living in harmony with ourselves as well as a great source of inspiration. My creative process starts by collecting interesting shapes I see during my wander about in the woods, and if it is not possible, by taking pictures. I use wax carving and lost-wax casting, which are traditional techniques, dating back to ancient times.

My collections are normally organised around statement pieces, often necklaces from which, like branches on a tree, grow to make individual smaller pieces. True beauty is revealed through Nature’s irregularity and imperfection. By realising my collections, I give great thought to the finished stage. Rough areas are emphasised, dark and gold colours are sometimes applied in different nuances and the oxidation process is left to take place. The jewellery springs to life, showing its vulnerability, mutation and beauty.

How would you best describe your workspace and what tools could you not do without?

I love spending time in my workshop. It is a peaceful oasis in which I can withdraw and focus completely on designing and making.

I like traditional jewellery tools. I find it fascinating how similar tools were used in ancient times and they never changed.

Are there new techniques you would like to try?

I find the final stages of making – when textures, colours and finishing effects are applied -particularly gratifying. It is fascinating to see how a shapeless, rough, and distorted piece of metal can be transformed into a precious item. There is something magic about it. This has encouraged me to start learning a new traditional technique: hand engraving.

A note of grateful thanks to Fife Contemporary and the VACMA (Visual Artist and Craft Maker Awards) project through Creative Scotland National Lottery. Receiving VACMA funding has allowed me to pursue hand engraving training

What have you learnt or the best advice you have received that you would like to share with fellow crafters?

An artist’s growth is intricately intertwined with their personal growth as a human being. The working environment can be challenging, and to overcome difficulties, it is pivotal to develop an enthusiastic and professional attitude to continuously acquire new knowledge and skills. Contemporarily, it is also vitally important to understand your own strengths, weaknesses, and fears as a person in order to develop resilience.