About Madonna Oriente

JEWELRY FOR GODDESSES.

I create pieces that reflect my own world. As in ancient times, my creations focus on the depiction of jewelry with heightened symbolic meaning. They are not merely adornments, but symbols, amulets, and rituals, that continue to showcase the beauty of ancient art, inspired by nature, stories, magic, animals, and gods. Jewelry that have power.

Creating jewelry with a historical relevance, I use techniques like lost wax casting, hand forging, repoussé and chasing. Through my pieces I aim to bring ancient historical designs into contemporary jewelry and making them relevant and timeless in today's world.

Each piece is designed and created locally in my old grandfather's workshop, where he once practiced blacksmithing. This workshop, in a village in Transylvania, has been passed down through generations, preserving the tradition of craftmanship.  

The concept, accessories ,outfits, make-up, photos and edits, are all created by me, and I am also the model. 

THE STORY BEHIND THE NAME

The name Madonnna Oriente has its own story. I first encountered Madonna Oriente while reading Ecstasies by Carlo Ginzburg, her name appears in the testimonies of women interrogated by the Inquisition in late 14th century Milan, women who spoke of gathering around a mysterious female figure. I was immediately fascinated by this mysterious woman. She was described as a beautiful Lady of the East, adorned with exquisite jewelry, who taught women the secrets of plants and the animals.

Something about her stayed with me, a figure suspended between history & magic. When the time came to give my creations a name, Madonnna Oriente felt like the one they had been waiting for. 

For me, the name became a way of remembering them, the countless women throughout history who were punished, silenced or feared for their knowledge, independence, beliefs or simply for refusing to fit within the place assigned to them. It is a name I carry for the women who still dare to exist on their own terms.

That is also where Jewelry for Goddesses comes from. Not the goddess as something distant or mythical, but the woman herself: creator, survivor, keeper of knowledge, and owner of her own power.