This article could almost be considered part two of Etruscan Jewelry. Before writing that article, I thought the art of granulation was a “lost art” but to my surprise I was contacted by a wonderful artist that wanted to share his talent with us. I am excited to present to you Andrea Cagnetti, Italian goldsmith-artist.



Little by little Andrea began to combine experimental activity with theoretical learning with the aim of verifying the hypotheses formulated up until then concerning ancient techniques of working gold. Under the name of "AKELO” he completed a collection of original jewelry offering proof of his having achieved at last the desired stylistic and technical perfection. The name "Akelo” was adopted by the Italian artist, which refers to the Greek and Etruscan mythological tradition, according to which Akelus was a god of water, son of Oceanus and Thetis.

Besides being featured in several exhibitions and the subject of numerous articles in newspapers and magazines in Europe and in Adornment Magazine in the United States, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston acquired two Akelo’s pieces. His work will be exhibited in 2010 at the University of Missouri's Art and Archaeology Museum.



Andrea shows to be particularly skilled in one of the most fascinating techniques of the ancient times: granulation also known as "silhouette technique" or "dust technique". It is the art of welding, in a way almost imperceptible to the eyes, using his own close to 22kt gold alloy granules on precious metal leaves, a technique in which the Etruscan artists were masters.



His work is all one-of-a-kind and consists of animal shapes and geometrical decorative motifs such as circles, meanders, and triangles. In addition to gold, for his jewels this artist uses stones and materials which are chosen not because of their market value but according to their aesthetic qualities which give his jewelry a particular chromatic effect. Sometimes his choice of semiprecious stones of different colors and consistency ensures a continuous research of geometrical and decorative forms.

I am including links to his website AKELO where you can find more information about Andrea and his work, and images of his pieces (high resolution) are available at this link: AKELO images His pieces are for sale. They are both beautiful to look at and extremely wearable. His little boxes are exquisite.