Milan 1999, 20 carat gold, natural coral, handmade, marked: Ettore Sottsass Jr./ SAWAYA & MORONI and hallmarks, 5 x 4.5 cm. (DRAX)

This item can be worn both as a pendant and brooch. A unique piece. Prototype for a planned yet never produced version in silver.

Sottsass designed five sets of jewelry for Sawaya & Moroni in 1999, among the last of his long career, that represented the “summation” and legacy of his vision of design in the form of ornament. “Chissà”, among of the five projects, is one of the two (“Foligna” and “Chissà”) which were due to be put into production in sterling silver: two collections of brooches and pendants of sculptural inspiration that adorn the body with the elegance and personality. Impossible not to notice them, for the force of the sign, which in interaction with the body becomes harmony and sensuality, allusion and play. “Chissà”, with its organic shape and central coral crystallizes Sottsass’s interest in Eros, which he described as “biological destiny, the unconscious cosmic use of life”. The joyful allusion of these brooches and their accentuated sensuality are amplified by the central piece of bloodred coral, as swollen as life itself. Sottsass thought through objects and jewelry, using them to reflect on central themes of his poetics like identity, memory and the body. He never regarded jewelry as symbols of opulence and luxury, but as ornaments to enhance the beauty of a woman’s body. His predilection for archetypal forms defines his idea of ornaments as signs to be worn. The present piece is the original and only piece made in solid gold and coral.