We have long admired the handcrafted jewelry created in Italian ateliers. Fortunately, a group of companies is determined to keep the traditions alive. The family-owned jewelry firm Vendorafa, founded in 1951, along with other Italian designers have created the Mani Intelligenti (Smart Hands) Foundation, devoted to the preservation and development of hand-crafted skills with a goal to find, teach, and place 1,000 students over the next three years.
After training in goldsmithing, stone setting, and finishing, the graduates will be employed by Vendorafa or other members of the foundation.
“We believe that the preservation of these arts comes only from exposure and education and the promise of opportunity,” says Daniela Lombardi, creative director of Vendorafa. vendorafa.net and maniintelligenti.it/en
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