History

In 1920 the company was founded by Vincenzo Ceva (1898-1981) but historical evidence noted that Luigi Ceva (1870-1957), Vincenzo’s father, was already a goldsmith in 1889. In 1923 Vincenzo Ceva acquired the royal operating license 167/29 and from 1928 to 1935 he managed the company in society with Giuseppe Garlando (Garlando Giuseppe & C.). In 1931 Carlo Ceva (1910-1983) joined the society. Carlo, Vincenzo’s brother, was a man of great creativity and good taste in the choice and combination of colors of enamels and gemstones. When the society with Garlando ceased, in 1935 Ceva brothers established their headquarters via Palestro 12 and they got the trademark 53AL. At that time 10 employees worked for the company. In 1937 the production census reported for the firm the definition “jewellery, gold processing and gold manufacturing”. In 1948 the company changed its title using the name of Carlo Ceva and employing a new trademark (328 AL, still in use). In those years the headquarters moved to via Cavour 22 and 14 people worked there. During the ‘50s the export towards the most important International jewellery began. During the same decade Marco (1926-1983) and Renzo Ceva (1929-2014) took over their father Vincenzo giving a new entrepreneurial impulse oriented especially towards the marketing of the product. The company took the name of “Cava Carlo Marco e Renzo”. At the beginning of the ‘60s the company moved to via Camasio 4 and counted 22 employees. In 1983 due to the death of Marco and Carlo during the same year the company was called “Ceva Renzo & C”. During the ‘80s Roberto and Gianni, Renzo’s sons, were involved in business activity. In 1989, when Renzo retired, the new title “Ceva gioielli” was recorded.

In 2007 the company received the gold medal for progress and development in the commercial sector by Camera di Commercio of Alessandria which included Ceva Gioielli in the register of Italian historical enterprises in 2012.

 

Archive

Ceva Gioielli srl archive collects documents produced by the company from the ‘20s to nowadays. The material dated from 1950 is summarily indexed and catalogued and ordered in typological series.

Drawings and sketches from the ‘20s to the ‘40s (around 700)

Drawings from the ‘50s to the ‘70s (around 2000)

Drawings from the ‘80s to 2000 (around 3000)

Models with their rubber moulds from 1955 to 2016 (around 3700)

Plaster moulds from the ‘30s to the ‘90s (around 40 linear meters)

Photographs from the ‘70s to 2000 (around 4000)

Reference tool doesn’t exist.

 

Sources

L. Lenti, Gioielli e gioiellieri di Valenza, Arte e storia 1825-1975, Allemandi, Turin 1994, description on pages 406-407. Imagines on tables LXVI, LXXVII, LXXVIII and n. 81, 84, 95, 96, 120, 131, 190, 418, 431-433, 439, 657, 660, 661.

Piero De Stefano, Il bracciale, AL.FE.MA. Communication  - Roma,  2002 (several images as an accompaniment to text).

Piero De Stefano, La collana, AL.FE.MA. Communication - Roma,  2003 (several images as an accompaniment to the text).

Andreina d’Agliano (curated by), Rose: purezza e passione nell’arte dal Quattrocento ad oggi, exhibition catalogue , Filatoio di Caraglio (CN) in 2009, Silvana - Cinisello Balsamo, 2009 . Image n. 158 on page 257.

Lia Lenti (curated by) , Valenza ou la joaillerie italienne, exhibition catalogue curated by Lia Lenti, Parigi, Petit Palais 8-28 February 2010, Nuvole - Sardigliano, 2010. Imagines on pages 117-119.     

W. Fochesato, R. Massola, Gioielli su carta. Ricchezze dorate fra disegni e cartoline: da Valenza all’Italia, Interlinea, Novara 2018, drawings printed on page 54