At only 24, jewelry designer Delfina Delettrez, who happens to be daughter of Silvia Fendi, proves with her latest and perhaps cheekiest collection that she’s blazing a trail all her own. It was just a few years ago that the fashion crowd first became smitten with her surreal, conceptual, gothic, sometimes morbid sensibility. We caught up with the junior jeweler to talk stones, collaborations and phobias…

Your latest collection, Roll in Stones, seems to be built around the idea of motion. What sparked this curiosity?I was deeply inspired by movement and would define the jewels as kinetic. I was also inspired by the idea that pieces could transform into other shapes. I love the idea that a rigid cuff can become soft by morphing into a fringe, or that a flat and skinny bangle can open up and blossom like a flower.

This collection also seems to be a more whimsical departure from your earlier, darker work. Why the change?I’m growing up and I like to express myself in different ways than I have in the past. This collection is going into a more conceptual direction, but my love for gothic style is always present. I like having the total freedom to change and express myself as I mature.

Having shown your pieces on conveyer belts and taxidermy animals, you seem to put a lot of thought in the way your collections are shown. What can we expect to see next?I think that the presentation [format] is a strong way to express the concept and creative inspiration behind every collection. I like to display the collection in magical and fantastical surroundings, as if the jewels were actors in a short movie. For the Roll in Stones collection, I was very inspired by Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and also by Blade Runner. As far as what’s next, who knows!

Insects seem to figure into a lot of your work. Have you always been fascinated by insects?I’m horrified by any insect! My phobia helps me a lot in my work and my work helps me to fight my phobia. Now, I find myself looking at these tiny robotic beasts with a different attitude. These insects now bring me good luck.

In just the past five years, you’ve put out eight collections, as well as a store in Rome, and you have quite the following. What will we see in the next five years?More collections! In addition to my little boutique in Rome, I just opened a new atelier, where all of my jewels are handmade by Italian artisans. I’m also working on launching my e-shop. I’m also always open to new collaborations. I’ve collaborated with Causse on gloves, Alain Mikli on sunglasses, and Giuseppe Zanotti on shoes.

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