Institutional History
The goldsmith school For.Al “Vincenzo Melchiorre” trains future goldsmiths, handing over  traditional manual skills to those who want to enter the gold working context and those who wish to become skilful at design and jewels creations.

The headquarters are in Valenza, the international goldsmith core in jewellery production, cradle of an ancient craft tradition and continuous technological advance, which considers as  its main aims maintaining  its peculiarity untouched and making manual knowledge and practice , strengths to be handed over to younger generations.

Goldsmith school For.Al “Vincenzo Melchiorre” has been for a long time a hotbed of young talents who have distinguished themselves in several jewellery techniques.

Since 1972, year of its foundation, the  school has been dealing with the  study of goldsmith art, styles, drawing, history of jewellery, gemmology,  and  jewels production, thanks to a team of  highly qualified teachers.

Students from all around the world can work in classrooms and labs equipped with technologically advanced machineries and tools (laser welding, binocular embedding),even in the IT field (goldsmith cad) and audiovisual one, they can also consult an updated Library. Contact with the working reality is characterized by  apprenticeship: each scholar joins the so called “alternanza scuola-lavoro”, an  individual growth plan, combining training and productive experience.

The school shows vitality suggesting project proposals of  courses devised to meet the  needs of the town goldsmith district that steadily requires professional figures such as goldsmiths, setters, designers, cutters, cleaners, cad designers.

In order to obtain a better connection with the local productive context, the institution called “alternanza scuola-lavoro” has been activated since 1980. Valenza Agency focuses its teaching activity  on a stronger  relationship between school and the world of work. The city problems in the sector and the productive reality are the fundamental basis of the action that the Agency exerts on  education and on the local artisan tradition. The Centro di Documentazione sull’Oreficeria “Ezio Deambrogi” was founded in 2004, with the aim of bringing out the  history of  goldsmith art tradition, thus collecting, preserving, giving value and  using documentary historical material deposited in the School for educational purposes.

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Archives

For.Al  School treasures materials made during teaching activities. Especially, together with the  administrative series, you can find collections concerning works made by students during annual courses, final exams and handmade products selected for national and international competitions. This material is summarily classified.

Up to 2014 the Centro di Documentazione preserved the Ezio Deambrogi archival collection, composed of graphic and artisan materials dated between 1920 and 1970 , from Deambrogi company, and Frascarolo archival collection composed of heterogeneous materials (factory books, silver prototypes, sketches) made between 1950 and 1976.

In 2006 the School acquired Emanuelli and Pastore archival collections ( from a silver shop in Vercelli), composed of wood moulds  and waxes dated between 1920 and 1960 circa, for an amount of 30 pieces, and the Argenteria Lima Alessandria archival collection composed of handmade steel moulds, dated between 1930 and 1960 circa, for an amount of 54 pieces.

The School preserves creations offered by Saverio Cavalli, six works made in fabric and different metals ,produced between 1963 and 1972; six paintings, sketches, educational drawings for students, graphic documents by Piero Porta, goldsmith since 1948 and owner of a gold company and goldsmith teacher at the professional school from 1994 to 1995.

 

Objects

Saverio Cavalli collection

1. N. 957, year 1963, silver, iron with baroque turquoise, cm 40 x 50

2. N. 1011, year 1964, silver, black enamel, cultivated pearls, cm 40 x 50

3. N. 9612, year 1965, silver, enamelled copper with gold leaves, pure silver drops, cm 40 x 50

4. N. 1222, year 1965, silver, bronze, golden metal, cm 40 x 50

5. N. 1346, year 1972, aluminium, golden metal, white plexiglas, cm 40 x 50

6. N. 1348, year 1972, aluminium, golden metal, blue plexiglas, cm 40 x 50

 

 

Piero Porta collection

1. Pendant with pearl and golden box, 1983

2. Coral flower in pink case, 1986

3. Still life with salumò, 1986

4. Still life with little hand drill, 1988

5. Still life with  magnet and burner

6. Still life with globe and filters, 1995