MUSE COUTURE CONVOS: Bea Bongiasca

Welcome to "Muse COUTURE Convos," where we journey into the world of exceptional fine jewelry with the talented designers showcasing their fabulous collections at the annual COUTURE Show in Las Vegas. In this exciting series, we explore the inspirations, craftsmanship, and stories behind some of the most stunning collections in the industry. Join us as we chat with these visionary artists, unveiling the passion and creativity that drive their work. Whether you're a seasoned collector or a jewelry enthusiast, our conversations promise to inspire and enchant, bringing you closer to the heart of jewelry.

Dive into Bea Bongiasca's jewel-box world, where Milanese chic meets whimsical wanderlust! A grad from Central Saint Martins, Bea handcrafts every piece in Italy, blending playful travels and pop culture into vine-twirled gold and gems. With each piece, you're not just wearing jewelry; you're donning miniature, eclectic fantasies swirled with a cheeky, sophisticated twist.

Tell us what you’re focusing on or debuting at COUTURE this year. 

This year is the ten-year anniversary of my brand. I'm kind of finishing some things that I never finished, and I made some special, extra massive pieces. For the awards, I made a really big necklace, which I usually wouldn't really do. I tried to experiment with what I had learned over the last ten years, trying to self-reflect after all this time. When you're in it, it's so hard to step out and look at what you're doing. This will be like a togetherness of things I have done.

Which piece from the collection you’re showing at COUTURE best captures your essence as a designer?

We did a whole little, small capsule of white gold. And I’m also excited about the wall of the booth! We put a lot of effort into the background this year. They're all renders, so they're not actual photos, which was the first time we worked that way. We made them look like it was like a [wheat pasting], with the texture over it.

If you had to describe what prepping for COUTURE feels like, how would you describe it?

Luckily, I've done it a few times now, so I'm quite organized. It's a whole yearly plan that you need to work towards. We organize everything ahead of time because our factories are closed for the month—the designing, even how we're going to show the collection. We have a checklist before we leave. Everything has been so streamlined.

Do you have a favorite COUTURE memory?

I really like the fact that you get to see everyone all together in one place. I think that's the best part. You see your designer friends, you see people you've never met. This is also cool because we live in such a jewelry niche. It's not like you can go into the world and just meet all these different jewelry designers randomly. So it's really nice to see them all together. It's a lot of people who live the same life and know the struggles and the perks.

Now, onto some general jewelry questions! If you could only work with one gemstone for the rest of your career, which would it be and why?

Colored diamonds—any color other than white. When people talk about diamonds being unique and they're all white, they're not as unique as when they're colored naturally because they really are all different.

Who has been an influential artist to you? 

David LaChapelle. I think the juxtaposition between the highbrow and the lowbrow, and the use of pop art, the kitschiness, but still with the elegance and the colors speaks to me.  

What is one thing you hope people will remember about your jewelry 100 years from now?

I hope that you can say that I had a different point of view on what jewelry is and that it's not necessarily the conventional or traditional way of looking at it. By the way, this really speaks to me when I'm at COUTURE. I get a culture shock where I'm like, okay, yeah, everyone's very different!