Written by Wylan, High School/Pre-College Student Correspondent for CET Florence: Italian Food, Art, and Society, Summer 2019
The metalworker does it all. Giuliano Ricchi works all day in his shop, and he sleeps at night…in his shop. His job is to make people smile. Reasonable prices will give joy. With big clients of Gucci and ex-presidents, he stays humble. In his downstairs work space, he turns coins into memorabilia. The large grinder will turn anything flat; he takes a euro coin and flattens it. The commoner coin will turn into a present. A machine creates a “vroom” and presses through the machine and out comes the item. The oval engraving makes the other coins left out; he then proceeds to give the shiny object to the little boy.
The quality is high, yet the price is low. With necklaces costing under 30 euros, Giuliano wants people to own it. He does not scam with high fashion prices some labels use on his very own items. He is just a kind man. Giuliano makes a mold out of plaster. He creates different shapes for events around the world. In this photo, he shows the melting process. He pours the melted metal in the mold and let the metal cool. After a while, an object is created.
The desk is messy. Only a genius would know where each item is placed, Giovanni Knows. Gold plated frames are scattered around the wood top. In the middle, the secret new client requires him to make a limited amount of gold bracelet. He gives the finishing touches of these detailed bracelets.
One step for man; one step for mankind. Giovanni commemorates the landing on the moon with a pocket moon. This metal object remarks a time of history; from Galileo laying his eyes upon it. The cratered metal is small and fits in your hands, and was sold to the public. He was holding history.
The elephant looks curiously in the camera. The gold item was molded by the artisan and to be sold. In this wooden plank, various items are on the board. Animals that have symbols: the frog stands proud? The buyer will interpret these collections.
Florence is built by great artists, like the renaissance. Though these days have past, great artists are still leading the way, Ricchi is one of them. The optical old man works in his workshop, staying close to his roots by living in Florence. He is an example of a person that built this city’s culture and will continue to chip onto it.