An architecture degree and a background in fashion informs the simple aesthetic of jewellery designer Elena Sardo’s brand, Sardo. The minimalist jewellery, created in Turin, Italy, encompasses off-beat silhouettes; streamlined in 18ct gold, silver and precious stones, the pieces create a tantalising play with light.
Now, the new Wild Flowers collection takes the beauty of nature as its inspiration, but in true Sardo style shies away from any sickly sweet connotations, instead interpreting its colours and shapes in understated and beautiful forms.
‘My aesthetic is always a bit visionary: in this collection, for example, the flowers are certainly not the flowers of realistic painting, but they are deconstructed, abstract flowers,’ Sardo explains. ‘In my aesthetic I don't look for oddities, but I always try to create jewels that are timeless: for me every detail is studied, and I often prefer to remove rather than add, with the aim of creating clean and refined pieces that have their own personal and distinctive style.’
The collection, created in lockdown, nods to her fascination with flowers, the irregular placing of petals and vivid juxtapositions of colour reflected in her rings and earrings. ‘I was fascinated by their variety of shapes and colours,’ she says. ‘For example, after a storm, I happened to observe petals on the grass forming an irregular and multicoloured composition, but beautiful and harmonious in its naturalness and simplicity: it made me think how apparently different elements can not only coexist, but also be more beautiful when put together.’
Tendrils of vines are drawn in gold and irregularly dotted with diamonds in dangling earrings; the petals from the Loves Me/Loves Me Not game from childhood are a minimalist addition to matte gold orbs. ‘In this collection, the more significant design details are the different cuts of the stones (baguette, marquise, pear cuts) and the use of coloured stones that for me is very unusual,’ adds Sardo.
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