The discovery of metals marked a decisive turning point in the evolution of human civilization, signalling the gradual transition from prehistoric societies to cultures capable of transforming their environment through new techniques. As copper, iron, silver, and gold were identified, worked, and eventually mastered, humans refined their understanding of the physical properties of these materials. This knowledge, sometimes empirical and sometimes guided by careful observation, made it possible to optimize their use in fields as varied as toolmaking, ornamentation, and jewelry.

Yet metals were never limited to their technical dimension alone: they also nurtured a vast constellation of stories, interpretations, and cultural transmissions. Over the centuries, humanity has woven around them traditions, symbolic imagery, supposed medicinal virtues, and explanations born from an understanding of natural phenomena that was still incomplete. Gold, for instance, has often been perceived as a material connected with ideas of immortality or transcendence, while silver became closely associated with the lunar cycle, purity, and protective forces.

The metals we handle today in our jewelry workshop still carry the echo of these many-layered inheritances. It is difficult to separate contemporary gestures—the hammer shaping the form, the material softening under heat, the metal revealing its brilliance as it is polished—from the thousands of years of practice, craftsmanship, and symbolic meaning that came before. Each movement becomes part of a continuity, a quiet link with the artisans of the past who sought to understand and elevate these materials.

In the pages that follow, you will discover a wealth of information about the metals we use in the creation of our jewelry. Whether historical, symbolic, medicinal, magical, or at times fantastical, these elements offer a broad and nuanced perspective on the meanings attributed to these precious materials. Our approach remains rooted in scientific and cultural curiosity, shaped by the fascination human beings have long held for stones and metals. When we mention so-called “magical” or “esoteric” properties, they do not reflect our own beliefs, but rather our interest in the ways societies throughout history have constructed their narratives, their symbols, and their worlds of thought.

Enjoy your reading.

 

	The brass history
	The copper history
	The gold history
	The silver history