Religious jewellery: the new Holyart product line

Religious jewellery? Yes, but only high quality, made with artisan methods by Italian companies of proven excellence. Because beauty, professionalism and faith can go together.

We at Holyart have told you in the past about the religious jewels that we offer in our online store. These are collections of exclusive jewellery made mostly by hand, or with artisan methods, by Italian master goldsmiths, beautiful to wear and unique to give as a gift. Our catalogue offers a rich range of splendid creations in gold, silver and precious stones, enriched with refined decorations and splendid sculptings because beauty, elegance and faith can go hand in hand.

In addition to religious jewellery, the Holyart shop offers everything you need to make DIY rosaries in a few simple steps, using the endless range of grains, crosses, crucifixes and chains that you can choose from, or entrusting yourself with the practical complete kits, which already contain everything you need to assemble your customised rosary.

In this article, in particular, we want to talk about religious jewellery in metal decorated with enamel.

If you are looking for a crucifix for a truly original DIY rosary, to give your sacred jewel a touch of colour, you can take a look at our online store. You will find a wide range of beautiful metal and enamel crucifixes, as well as grains, crosses and chains to create a truly unique rosary with your hands.

If you want to give a gift to someone to whom you hold a medal with a saint everyone appreciates very much, but at the same time, you want to make an important gift, choosing a product made in detail, the religious jewels that we will talk about in this article are definitely for you.

The products of this type sold by Holyart are made by a company that has been operating on the market since 1977. An entire family has decided to dedicate their passion and efforts to creating truly unique sacred jewels. And they keep doing it, from father to son.

A meticulous, artisanal production, made almost entirely by hand, was cared for in every aspect of the workmanship. Every step is carefully controlled by highly qualified staff.
The particularity and attention to detail these religious jewels are made with fully justifies our choice, and you too cannot help but appreciate the excellence of these unique products.

We mentioned that this is a family business, which started to produce Art Deco and Liberty jewellery but soon converted to sacred and museum jewellery, beginning to make crosses, crucifixes, religious medals, jewellery crosses and other precious elements in metal decorated with enamels.
Not only that, but they also produce gadgets and reproductions of precious objects kept in museums or taken from the great masters of the past, famous paintings, crucifixes and so on.
Furthermore, the company produces buttons and fashion accessories for the greatest Italian brands.

The production of enamelled religious jewellery has become their speciality over time, an all-Italian and ‘family’ excellence, which is carried on with pride and with the determination to maintain the high standards of the past to guarantee valuable products every day.

The priority of this company is to create something beautiful and do it in the best possible way, with all the care and attention that only a job well done requires. Their jewels are very detailed and precise, the result of an authentic passion and an awareness of excellence carried out with pride by all the members of the family.

They do not use many machines, their production is based entirely on experience, manual skills and passion.

For enamelled religious jewellery, the company is inspired by the great masters of the past, especially the Renaissance, to reproduce already existing subjects. In forty years of activity, the company has created hundreds and hundreds of subjects and does not stop always proposing new ones. One of the most appreciated and sought-after subjects is the Crucifix of San Damiano, perhaps because it is very detailed and easily recognisable.

Exclusively for Holyart they have made crosses and crucifixes of great value, and are developing other items, in particular, elements to assemble the DIY rosaries, perhaps to make an exclusive and completely personalised gift. The choice of colours, the thought and the attention that it takes to choose the elements and assemble them, taking into account the tastes of those who will receive it, make this type of gift really unique and special.

The company strongly believes in Made in Italy, of which it is a proud ambassador. All the processing phases take place in Italy, within the company itself. They do not want to import anything, materials, or above all ideas, preferring to take advantage of the immense heritage that our country offers us. Italy has always been famous for this, for its artists, craftsmen and geniuses capable of creating exceptional things.
In comparison with the global market, they choose to remain faithful to their roots, to focus everything on craftsmanship.

The attention to detail and meticulous care of every aspect of the work differentiates them from large mass processing. Only by doing well what you know how to do can you remain competitive in a market constantly invaded with products from all over the world.

But let’s discover together the various stages of the processing of these unique and exclusive jewels, made of metal and enamel only for Holyart.

Prototypes and moulds

The first phase of the work is design, and it is also the most artisanal. Andry’s creatives design prototypes, from which they obtain moulds that will be used to melt the metal and give it the necessary shape. To do this, they have to be very careful with all the details, because the prototypes have to be absolutely perfect. All the work is carried out by hand, with manual tools, from the hole to the file, no machinery can help the operators in this delicate phase. A research work that requires study, attention plus artistic and aesthetic sensitivity in absolute contrast with the great modern commercial production. Starting from an image, a technical drawing is created that allows you to have a first base or starting point through photoengraving.

Once it has been photo-etched, the prototype is cut and finished by hand and is used to make rubber moulds, using a cast. The rubber moulds are baked and then used to melt the metal.

The moulds only last for one day of work and then are rebuilt.

Casting, moulding and grinding

The metal is melted and distributed in the moulds via a centrifuge. The metal that is used is zamak, a zinc alloy, combined with small percentages of aluminium and tin, very resistant, malleable and versatile. The zamak “ingot” is molten, then taken with a special ladle and poured into a sort of funnel/tank.

From there the metal passes through the grooves of a centrifuge and fills the moulds, which have the shape of two rubber circles. A specialist brushes the rubber circles with a special powder that has the function of making the metal stick better when the centrifuge is activated as if it were talcum powder.

Once the product has come out of the mould, it is passed into a grinder that has the function of polishing any imperfections. The abrasive spring perfectly finishes the product’s edges.

This is a process that is scrupulously done, every product that comes out of the mould passes to this quality control. For this purpose, we also use cleaning machines and abrasive brushes that eliminate fusion attacks and smears.

Galvanic treatment

After the raw metal has been molten and poured into the mould, it is subjected to galvanic treatment, which embellishes the metal base. Galvanic technology involves a series of operations with aqueous solutions at room temperature or slightly higher, mixed with salts of metals, bases, acids and additives. The galvanic treatment produces electrochemical depositions on the metal, i.e. the formation of a layer that increases its corrosion resistance, wear and the effects of atmospheric agents. It is also an aesthetic treatment that makes the metal more beautiful and resistant, able to last over time. After the galvanic treatment, the piece of metal resembles a piece of gold or silver.

All galvanic treatments carried out by Andry are anti-allergic because they are performed without nickel

Decoration and colouring with the enamel

The decoration is done by hand, and it is the most important moment. Each step is carried out with care and attention, to highlight every single detail of the jewel. Especially in minute jewellery, such as a crucifix, it is attention to detail that makes the difference.

They include control and attention to each step that allows you to finally get a well-crafted and well-made product. The decorators are all very passionate about work, and over the years they have learned to be very attentive and precise.

Decoration and colouring are done using needles and syringes used to fill the products with coloured enamels. The needles are used to chisel and decorate the metal. Syringes for glazing.
The enamels that are used are epoxy enamels, which thanks to their chemical composition create a thin but resistant film on the surface of the object, which protects the colours from wear and atmospheric agents. To facilitate and speed up the application of enamel, making the operation not only faster but also more accurate, the enamel dispensers are mounted on complex pneumatic systems that allow the deposition of enamel quickly and precisely on the piece to be decorated. Attach the syringe to the syringe bayonet attachment. The operator can exert absolute control over the enamel output by pressing on a pedal and interrupting its escape by releasing it.

After being glazed, the product is baked. This is a very important step that requires time and care because the operation must be repeated for each colour. In practice, the product must be placed in the oven every time a different colour enamel is applied. The oven phase is then repeated several times depending on the number of colours you use. The product remains in the oven every time for 3/4 hours at 60°. The enamel they use is mixed with a percentage of hardener to make it more solid and resistant.

When the product has been completely glazed and leaves the oven for the last time, it is sprinkled with a layer of transparent polishing enamel that makes the surface uniform and shiny, giving it an extra point of light. Even to the touch, the enamel makes the surface more uniform and does not make it perceive, as the fingers pass, the difference between the layers of colour. In addition, the transparent enamel makes the details stand out, even more, making it a little like a magnifying glass, and protecting the piece. Even after the application of the final transparent enamel, the jewel must be passed back into the oven.

Some jewellery is then decorated with Swarovski‎ rhinestones.

Pendant cross with aquamarine shuttles iset by hand on free light gold brass bezels, made by an Italian company.
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Golden zamak medallion decorated with coloured enamel applied by hand. The item, made in Italy, is enamelled by hand with the use of the syringe, which allows to decorate it with precision; then the enamel is covered with a layer of resin that gives it shine and resistance.
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Golden zamak medallion decorated with coloured enamel applied by hand.The item, made in Italy, is enamelled by hand with the use of the syringe, which allows to decorate it with precision; then the enamel is covered with a layer of resin that gives it shine and resistance.
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Other products

In addition to enamelled jewellery, our supplier also manufactures crosses with crystal bezels and stones. The brass bezels are welded and the stones set, all strictly by hand, and then passed to the galvanic treatment. It is a job that requires patience, attention and a lot of passion.

As for the buttons, they are appreciated and known by insiders, demanding fashion experts and always looking for excellence, even in the smallest details.