The jewelry designer Silvia de Noia was born in a small town near Turin, but almost twenty years ago she fell in love with Lanzarote and settled on the island. She has just returned from the Madrid Fashion Week where she presented her latest collection with Lanzarote Moda.
In an interview with Ekonomus, she explains her story and how she crafts the pieces of her brand Siliza Joyas de Fuego, in which she fuses the ancestral technique of copper enamel with fire at 850 degrees and the influence of the volcanoes of Lanzarote.
“I'm still delighted to live here, for me Lanzarote is my home, it's where my children were born, who are conejeros. Lhe island captivated me with its light and its nature. For the fact of walking and immediately being in contact with such a strong nature, which connects me also with my work, with my art, with my way of being”.
That inspiration, in which stands out the strength of the volcanoes, is what he tries to transmit with his work: “I work with fire, when I open the oven it is at 850 degrees, red hot, there you immediately see the transformation of matter, both of the enamel and of the inclusions”.
"The enamels are not synthetic, they are of metallic oxide that melts between 820 and 880 degrees"
De Noia has been passionate about her work since she was very young; already in Turin she dedicated herself to copper craftsmanship, but it was on a trip to Argentina where she trained in fire enamel, a technique to which she would later add the volcanic inspiration of Lanzarote.
De Noia explains that “the enamel on metal technique, can be done on copper, and also on silver or gold, because they are jewelry enamels. They are not synthetic, but rather metallic oxide that melts between 820 and 880 degrees, as if it were glass, but the colors are the different metallic oxides. That's why it can only be used on noble materials”.
“First, you have to do a prior preparation of the copper piece, (the metal most used for its versatility), the cutting, lifting, and cleaning. Once clean, the enamel intervention begins and depending on the technique you want to develop there are different types of works and firings”.
One of those techniques, for example, she used for her Cúprica collection, for its copper inclusions. And another different one for her Orea collection and also for the new one, which is called Ouro Preto.
Siliza Joyas de Fuego has both clients from Lanzarote and tourists on the island, especially Nordic and German, but also English, Italian, French, and peninsulars.
“More than about nationality, it's a matter of sensibility, my clients don't want souvenirs, but rather they are looking for something different, a connection with the territory” shares the designer.
The workshop of Silvia de Noia is in Tías, although it is not open to the public. To see her work, you can find it both at the Haría Market as well as La Villa's, as well as the one on Wednesdays in Pueblo Marinero, in Costa Teguise.
"Lanzarote is a generous place to undertake"
The jewelry designer is very grateful to Proexca and the Lanzarote Moda initiative, of which she has been a part since 2020 and shares her experience at Madrid Fashion Week.
“Lanzarote Moda opens many doors for us and gives us visibility that would be very difficult to have otherwise. In Madrid I had the opportunity to present my new collection ‘Ouro Preto’ during Juan Duyos' fashion show, who is the president of the Spanish Fashion Association. It was a very great emotion,” shares.
Asked if it is possible to earn a living exclusively from crafts, she answers yes and considers that on the island there is space for more artisans to live from art. “I think so, without a doubt, if you have a different, interesting project, Lanzarote is very generous in that sense because we are lucky that people come from all over the world. It is a generous place to undertake.”
