WEARABLE THERAPY? DISCOVER KINTSUGI JEWELLERY

Back in Milan, Castaldo orchestrated a collaboration between a female Japanese Kintsugi master and the artisans of Casa Pomellato – the brand in-house workshop. Damaged jet and kogolongs (a white variety of opal), usually discarded, here are reunited with bold strokes of gold and set as the centre-stones of rings, earrings, and pendants. These form part of a capsule collection (launching on Net-A-Porter in May) made with fair-mined gold – as Pomellato had spotted in Kintsugi an opportunity to bolster its sustainable practices. “The biggest challenge is to keep the conversation between sustainability and creativity alive, allowing them to nourish each other and thus to reinvent each other.”

IMAGE | Pomellato

Pomellato is not alone in its enthusiasm for the aesthetic innovations afforded by Kintsugi and its meaning. For its debut collection, the upcoming Japanese brand Milamore chose to pay tribute to this unique art of restoration. Milamore Kintsugi rings, bracelets, and pendants in 18-carat gold feature daring jagged lines mimicking the golden cracks of ceramics in which diamonds and pearls can sometimes mischievously snuggle.

In a recent iteration of the successful Milamore debut collection, company founder George Root has employed cracked pearls repaired with golden strokes of Kintsugi, spangled with diamonds and proudly set in pendants. Root acknowledges that the choice of his debut theme was prompted by the need for a strong and distinctive visual identity. As well as conveying a deeper meaning. “We have all been through situations that have altered us and it’s nothing to be ashamed of,” he said, stressing that his Kintsugi collection should remind its wearer of finding strength in touch times and celebrating splicing ourselves back together again.

MILAMORE Yobitsugi Mother of Pearl Earrings

The pandemic has left many of us grappling with dismal states of languishing, insecurity, broken dreams and longing for a brighter future. As such, the concept of Kintsugi is something we could do with applying more to our lives. Instead of trying to hide these aspects of self, we should embrace, nurture and celebrate them to build something more extraordinary. More beautiful. Let's face it, we're are all in some ways in a state of repair. As Ernest Hemingway writes in A Farewell to Arms, the world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.