Live From Vicenza: Paolo Piovan’s Diamond Snakes

Padova, Italy–based Paolo Piovan Gioielli loves creatures large and small: alligators, scorpions, tigers, starfish, and sea anemone, but the design house particularly likes snakes. Consider several of its most recently made and dramatic styles: an icy diamond Cobra ring with ruby eyes that is poised to strike from the wearer’s hand; an icy and brown diamond rattlesnake ring with a ruby tongue and a gemstone victim captured in karat gold fangs; tightly coiled diamond and gemstone boa rings; and a trio of daintier (perhaps just garden snakes?) slithering things, also in diamonds, gemstones, and blackened gold.

The Cobra has about 5 cts. t.w. diamonds in 18k gold and retails for €20,000.

Birds could be next up in Piovan’s animal design repertoire; a client from Doha had the jeweler made some hefty falcon claw pieces, also on display at VicenzaOro. Some new flower designs were also evident, perhaps to keep the wild things contained in environments as realistic-looking as their appearances.

Paolo Piovan diamond Cobra ring