Gismondi’s Latest Jewels Riff on the Humble Paper Clip

All those months in lockdown forced us to get back to basics and reacquaint ourselves with the simpler things in life. While some were mastering their sourdough recipes or honing their puzzle-assembling skills, Massimo Gismondi looked for inspiration in the everyday.

The CEO and creative director of 267-year-old Italian jeweler Gismondi was particularly struck by a utilitarian tool that was a fixture of his work-from-home desk: the humble paperclip. The office supply’s unassuming beauty sparked the idea for Clip, Gismondi’s latest collection of everyday (as opposed to haute) jewels.

Featuring clean, graphic bands of mirror-polished or diamond-studded gold, punctuated with pear-shaped gems, the Clip collection’s minimalist designs are a departure from the intricate, feminine works for which Gismondi is best known. In a way, it’s the jeweler’s own way of getting back to basics—dialing back the glamour and distilling designs to their purest, most essential (and accessible) form.

“Clip showcases something modern that is meant to be worn from casual to very dressed,” Gismondi says. “These are fun pieces that can go with basic denim and a crisp white shirt by day, but also make a statement when worn on an evening dress. It is designed to be fine or precious, but not to be worn as precious. It is for all occasions.”

The streamlined designs, accented with white diamonds, emeralds, or pink or blue sapphires, were created with stacks, layers and all manner of “ear parties” in mind. The collection “speaks to the idea of building a jewelry wardrobe,” he adds. The most understated designs, including polished gold huggies and bangles accented with a single stone, can form the foundation of a younger buyer’s collection, or—for more advanced jewelry stylists—pair with more elaborate, high-wattage designs. Speaking of the latter, Clip also includes a selection of high jewelry pieces that see the same graphic paperclip motif dripping in fancy yellow, brown and white diamonds—haute stuff to suit the casual dress code of the day.

Uncomplicated as the designs may appear, Gismondi points out that they speak to a headier sentiment: “Being held together—just as a clip brings two pages to connect. It doesn’t alter the sheets, it marks them.” Just like Cartier’s Love bracelet or antique gimmel rings, the Clip collection renders the concept of love’s bond with striking and relatively simple designs that feel bound to become modern classics.

All images courtesy of Gismondi

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