History
Alchimia, a school of contemporary jewellery and design in Florence, Italy, was founded in 1998 by Lucia Massei and Doris Maninger. Based in Oltrarno, Florence's historic artisan district, the school's philosophy is to provide students an innovative lab of creative thought, rooted in a deep understanding of tradition. This setting is important for a school that has among its goals to conne
ct learning and knowledge about traditional goldsmiths’ techniques with research and experimenting on both materials and the conceptual substrate of the creative process. Florence, one of the main symbols of the “Made in Italy” approach, has in fact always been a synonym of top artistic and artisan quality, conjugating the highest aspects of artistic concepts with the finest ex*****on capabilities. The choice of running a school of small dimensions (not more than twelve students per course) is a guarantee for rapid decisions and swift updates, maximum didactic quality and minimal bureaucracy, aspects in themselves that give further strength to the school and that differentiate it vis-à-vis the other schools in Italy, whether public or private. Alchimia has established itself as a major point of reference for contemporary jewellery-making both in Italy and in Europe. The school attracts students from all over the world, who follow full academic courses or intensive modules. A great number of international jewellery artists, art historians, gallery owners and collectors have run courses and seminars over these years. The importance of generating the right atmosphere between teachers and students has produced results of a very high quality, with peaks of excellence made evident by many international prized acknowledgements.
