The Italian design house unveils new karat gold pieces kissed with colorful ceramic coatings

Elisabetta Molina’s portfolio of massive cocktail rings and door-knocker-size earrings executed in classic yellow, white, rose, and blackened gold, has taken a surprisingly colorful turn. The force behind the Garavelli family design firm updated its existing Dune collection of geometric-inspired looks this spring with vividly hued nano-ceramic coatings across 50 18k gold SKUs.

“It’s a special galvanic finishing with ceramic components—therefore the name, nano ceramic,” she tells JCK. “The process uses electricity and is similar to a rhodium process.” (See Rio Grande’s tutorial on Kliar nano-ceramic e-coatings.)

Molina maintains that the coating is pretty sturdy, though largely dependent on frequency and duration of wear, and on the surface of the jewelry itself. For example, hammered surfaces (work hardened) are more durable than shiny surfaces. The appeal of the coating lies in the colors—11 to date in Garavelli’s line—and the endless creative options that the material offers.

And while there are many pure ceramic jewelry options on the market, Molina notes that part of the beauty of her pieces is that they are karat gold with nano ceramic.

“So you still have in your hands on an 18k gold piece,” she says. “After years, if you get tired of the color, you return to your retailer who will come back to us, as they do with repairs, and we can take the color off and you have a beautiful jewel in gold. When you buy a piece made in ceramic, you buy ceramic—but maybe at the cost of gold.”

No minimum buy-in exists, and the line is already shipping to stores. Suggested retail pricing starts at $1,700.

From left: rings in 18k gold ring with 0.5 ct. t.w. diamonds and Sardinia sea–, deep blue–, and red-colored nano-ceramic coating and one with no coating (gold only), $3,900 apiece

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JCK