Sarasota, FL
I create micro mosaic jewelry, or filato Romano. It is an Italian lost art form, developed by the Vatican, that I learned in Ravenna, Italy in 2019, although I have been creating and exhibiting at art festivals for over 25 years.
I begin with glass from the oldest furnace in Murano, Italy, and combine colors to create my pallet. I melt and shape it with a torch and pull the glass into thin threads, called filati. I cut the filati into tiny pieces, or tesserae, smaller than a grain of rice, and place them into my finished setting with a slow curing handmade stucco made with marble dust and linseed oil, allowing me to take several days to finish each heirloom piece. I create the setting, the stucco adhesive, and the glass filaments.
I have always loved historically inspired jewelry, and antique micro mosaics, especially the very intricate pieces created in the 18th century, but there are very few people today keeping this art form alive. I’m inspired to create using the authentic old-world technique, but in a modern way. I love making tiny scenes, such as my lemon tree over the Amalfi coast design, or emulating ancient artifacts, such as my Minoan Octopus micro mosaic necklace.
