The history of our Company is parallel to the history of our family. It is since four generations ago, exactly since 1896 - when Nunzio Russo "Senior" opened his first workshop in Naples - that the Russo Family is known as an expression of superior craftsmanship and quality in the production of frames for cameos and precious stones.
Nunzio was a master goldsmith and his esteemed creations reflected exclusively his own taste.
Over the years, Nunzio Senior, supported by his skillful son Ciro, perfected his art specializing in frames for Cameo end precious stones.
Since the '60s, this family tradition has been carried on by Renato and Nunzio Junior and today, thanks to Marco and Ciro Junior, the Company continues to grow by specializing in more and more
refined frames, among which the Roman, and Etruscan filigree are the most famous styles.
The "young" Russo's, while maintaining the origins and traditional character of such very special workmanship, at the same time, start to implement a policy of even further innovation, that takes place at the new corporate headquarters at the Centre Goldsmith Oromare in Marcianise (near Naples) with the intent to use the most innovative technologies in order to promote relations and communications with their customers.
Over the years, they have designed and created various collections that have met the taste of classic as well as modern, refined and classy as well as sporty and casual people. We always remain faithful to the traditional handmade cameo but, following the various current trends, we give it new shapes to make it always up to date and fashionable. Our frames are both in gold (9kt and 18 kt) and in 925 silver, finished with diamonds and stones (both synthetic and precious). In short, our jewels are a perfect fusion between innovation and tradition.
Our jewels are present in major Italian cities such as Rome, Naples (also in Sorrento and Capri), Milan, Taormina,Venice, Florence and Bologna, while abroad we are present in China, Japan, Germany and the United States.
At the same time, on the way to Pompei,“The Dead City” through the highway A3, at the Ercolano-Portici exit, the Russo's family welcome thousands and thousands of visitors arriving from the four corners of the World, in“The Coral Palace Museum” a large building in Pompeian style, where since 1885 cameos and corals are shown.
Currently, thanks to the restart of tourism after the pandemic years,“The Coral Palace Museum” welcomes approximately 10 thousand visitors a month. In this evocative place, people can take an immersive journey into the history and manufacturing of cameos and corals, appreciating live the skill of our artisans who complete the handwork of cameos. Moreover,tourists can admire the exhibition of historical cameos, such as a private collection from the Victorian era, and some of the best masterpieces created by the best Neapolitan artists such as the masters Garofalo and Ottaviano.
The Cameo takes form from the sea shells which is normally used for the manufacturing. During the first phase of cameo production, the shells are carefully handed by an artisan who cuts the upper part of them by creating what craftsmen call “the shell-cup”. This step is very delicate as the shells are carefully chosen and optimized in accordance with many standards, such as thickness and brightness.
In fact, the shell-cup is studied by another craftsman who decides which pieces to take out from the shell by signing the structure of the shell-cup with a thin black felt-tip pen. The shells, well defined, are now given to an expert cutter who roughly cuts the pieces by the aid of a sharp rotating wheel. At this point, each piece of the shell is carefully levigated and polished by a rotating brush till getting the final shape.
The following step is to put any single piece upon a wooden stick by smearing a special warm wax on both sides of the stick itself. In this way the artist can easily first draw and then engrave
on the shell surface, with a tool, better known as “Bulino”, classic profile, biblical or mythological scenes, reproducing bas-relief sculpture in miniature.
Frames for cameos are strictly hand made carving any single gold foil. For this purpose, the precious metal (gold or silver) is first cast and then laminated in a different thickness.
Then, the precious metal, carefully shaped, is modeled in order to find out a perfect location for each cameo.This is a very compelling and delicate process which requires about six or seven years apprenticeship. In fact, during this period, the trainees are taught about the composition of the raw materials’chemical elements and the way how to create several frames' styles.
Mountings are hand-fashioned to meet the custom specifications of each cameo.
The manufacture is indeed craftmade and the gold or silver mountings for cameos consist in the creation of handmade gold or silver-objects based on original free-hand drawings, which combine
the sheer beauty of the gold to our goldsmiths' highest craftsmanship.