Annachiara Pompili, founder of Saline (2017)

Annachiara Pompili is the founder of Saline, a jewelry brand characterized by essentiality and elegance, strongly inspired by horse riding. She has a well-defined vision for the future: sustainability and female teamwork with the view to continuing to value those who wear her creations. “Saline jewelry is intimate and personal, for every day. These are jewels whose creative process is the image that is formed and takes shape. Like a liberation.”

How was your passion for jewelry born?

Since childhood, I have always been obsessed with earrings. Growing up, I have always preferred simple outfits which had a distinctive feature, like an accessory that could express my personality, for instance a jewel. Over time, my interest for jewels has progressed. I started observing them like true meaningful and memorable bearers. And at the peak of my very personal connection to jewels I founded Saline.

What was the path that led you to its foundation?

Before turning my passion into my profession, I worked as a sales assistant in a clothes shop, where I would often attend presentations of numerous jewelry brands. However, I was surprised by the fact that none of these would ever propose simple jewels, suitable for everyday wear, but on the contrary only elaborate creations, for a few occasions. In that circumstance, I felt the need to design everyday jewels, with elegant and simple lines. This is how my self-taught artist path began. I still remember with pleasure my first trip to America: I spent the entire flight creating jewels. It was my American friends, amazed by my creations, who suggested me to create my own brand! The name I chose, Saline, comes from the homonym beach in Saint Barth. During that trip, Saline was the name of my hotel room. I connected all the dots and suddenly I found my way.

Did you later attend a jewelry training course?

Yes, I attended the Accademia di Arti Orafe in Rome, and in the meantime I built a workshop at home. I already had in my mind the lines of my brand, dedicated to horse riding, but I also wanted to increase my working techniques in goldsmithing - in particular lost wax technique. I still remember my first day of class when I thought about the Horseshoe ring, such a simple and pure line which later became iconic in the world of Saline. According to a legend, it is said that the horns of animals were powerful channelers of positive energy from sky to earth, due to their shape and direction. This is why the Horseshoe ring, thanks to its shape similar to horns, becomes the bearer of powerful meanings.

Horseshoe Pinky Ring

What is the meaning that jewelry has for you?

Jewelry is the most personal item in somebody’s wardrobe. Being able to convey somebody’s personality in a very direct way, jewels are extremely personal and intimate items. They have profound significance linked to somebody’s being, and seeing this beauty repays me of all my efforts and work. Each jewel becomes unique for me, something to be treated with passion in each particularity and detail.

What do you wish to convey through your creations?

I wish to convey a fashion that gives value. The “elegant simplicity” which makes everyday life special.

What’s your biggest inspiration?

My biggest source of inspiration is horse riding. I started this sport at the age of five and I have never stopped. As soon as school finished, I would go to the stable and I would stay there until late in the evening. Unfortunately, I had an accident that prevented me from continuing to ride at a competitive level. This deprivation has further strengthened my desire to express my passion through jewelry: today the creative process for Saline jewelry makes me feel as if I were on my horses every day.

What are the materials and processing methods that characterize your creations?

My jewels are entirely handmade: this is what makes them unique. Besides the lost wax technique, which is the one I prefer the most, I use bronze, I dip it in 18k gold, and then again in a transparency bath. I particularly love combining high jewelry with everyday life, as instance by using sophisticated techniques on jewels to be worn on any occasion. An example of this is the Horsebit ring which I embellished with a black zirconia pave, taking inspiration from the diamond pave setting. My research is ongoing and incessant: I often travel to learn new processing methods as well as to discover new materials. This is also why I love my job, because it allows me to experiment, to continuously find new inspirations. Moreover, I created a 925 silver collection.

Horsebit Pave Ring

Tell me about a jewel you are particularly fond of.

It is difficult to choose. Iconic is the braid whose inspiration comes from the horse’s mane and whose elegance and wearability represents my signature. I would not only say braided hoop earrings, but also Horseshoe ring. More than jewels, these are real amulets for me. I am very attached to Abbraccio ring, created during a historical moment of great uncertainty, where it was no longer possible to hug. I felt the desire to communicate such a profound, so human need, that is to be closer one to the other. A need we have missed. This is why I decided to give it voice by creating this jewel, a symbol of love and union.

Braided hoops

How do you imagine Saline in the future?

I have many plans for the future. First of all, I wish to create a large and bright studio-workshop inside which I would like to work with a team of talented and enthusiastic women. I would like to appreciate together the simplicity of teamwork, driven by a common passion. In addition, the future of Saline will always focus on an increasingly eco-sustainability, as an instance through the research and use of natural waxes.

Abbraccio Ring