I need beauty in my everyday life. Fashion was once how I expressed myself. I am not leaving the game, I am choosing my own rules now. What I seek is to leave you with the feeling that something special has just happened.
And that's what my creations allow you to do. They are made of ceramic, an unusual material for jewellery, with a minimalist yet sculptural design. A simple, almost brutal beauty, timeless yet very physical, present.
wearable art
introducing ceramic jewellery
Wearing a piece of ceramic jewellery, created in a unique and difficult-to-repeat way, is an act that feels both ancient and futuristic at once. Sharing my memory, mixing it with the memories of the wearer, becomes a gesture that goes against the mainstream, especially when set against the ideal of perfection and the “investment value” of jewellery made from precious metals and produced by high-precision machinery.
maria chiara arrigo and minimalceramicart
want to know more?
memories often fade, but the imprint they leave is worth more than many sharp images
FAQ
why ceramic for jewels?
Who said that jewellery must only be made of precious metals and stones, produced by precise, well-calibrated machines, preferably in series?
What if I told you about rings shaped one by one by my hands, using an organic material that absorbs the warmth of your skin on contact?
What if I told you about a form you can rotate around your finger to relax, one that shows you off in its extravagance while at the same time protecting you, like brass knuckles?
That's why I chose ceramic, you might too.
why minimalceramicart?
minimimalceramicart, MCA, Maria Chiara Arrigo, that's me.
It took me a long time to appreciate my name, especially living abroad and making people understand that my name is Maria Chiara and not Maria. At a certain point, I gave in and reluctantly accepted the compromise of MCA. Until, while searching for a name for my jewellery project, I woke up one night shouting “MCA - MinimalCeramicArt”. My partner told me to go back to sleep, saying that it was surely already taken. But no, it wasn't, and now it's mine, and I finally really like MCA.
is ceramic safe?
Glazes for food? Why not for jewellery!
Do you have an allergy? An intolerance? I'm afraid so, me too, and it's really a pain because it limits a lot of things. For example, not being able to eat everything you want or wear any clothes or jewellery. I'm allergic to nickel, and sometimes I even react to metals that are officially hypoallergenic. When I started working with ceramics and decided to make jewellery, the first thing I researched was the materials, especially glazes, since that's what comes into contact with the skin. I searched everywhere, asked everyone, but nothing, there is no such thing as dermatologically tested glaze. But I didn't get discouraged and looked at the problem from another point of view: what's worse than wearing something that causes an allergy? Eating it! And since there arefood-safe glazes on the market, I thought there couldn't be anything better than that. If you can put something in your mouth, you can certainly wear it: problem solved!
isn't ceramic fragile?
Sure! What isn't fragile actually? But what can we say about Egyptian vessels, shaped thousands of years ago, that are still capable of preserving grains of wheat?
Of course, I wouldn’t throw my jewellery forcefully onto the ground, just as I wouldn’t do so with a plate, a puppy, or myself.
So if I asked you now whether you’d like to try a piece of ceramic jewellery, what would you say?
how long to deliver special orders?
Well, it depends. Handmade ceramic takes time: creating, drying, firing, glazing and firing again. Consider at least 3 weeks plus delivery time. If you want something special just contact me and together we will bring your dream to life.
what if my jewel breaks?
Have you ever heard of kintsugi? If a ceramic breaks and you keep all the pieces, it could be fixed using this traditional Japanese inspired technique. Ceramics are not so easy to break as it is believed, still make sure you handle your object carefully. Nevertheless, if this happens, contact me and we see together if we could gift your jewel a second life.
