asquale Bruni is one of the few jewellers still in family hands whose every creation echoes a memory and a story. Founded in 1968 in Valenza by Pasquale Bruni, the brand has always put femininity, nature and poetry at the heart of its designs.

Since 2001, Pasquale Bruni’s daughter Eugenia Bruni has taken charge of creative direction, enhancing her father’s legacy with her personal vision, while her brother, who is president of the US subsidiary, focuses on the brand’s global expansion. In Eugenia Bruni’s eyes, creation is not simply an aesthetic gesture; it is a language through which she can express her thoughts, beliefs and emotions.

The most touching example of this is the Rosina high jewellery collection. Each piece is inspired by her encounter with the now abandoned home of her late great-aunt Rosina, and with the abundant nature that had reclaimed a forgotten space, bringing it back to life. Among this mass of greenery, a single rose bloomed, welcoming Eugenia Bruni back to the family home. This solitary blossom would become the inspiration for Rosina — an intentionally small collection of jewels set with diamonds and a sprinkling of rubies. With it, Eugenia Bruni rekindles a precious memory and pays tribute to a line of strong women. Women like her.

Eugenia Bruni, Creative Director at Pasquale Bruni

We met Eugenia Bruni in Paris in July, where she presented the Rosina collection among a secret garden of roses, vines and ferns, a prelude to her enchanted world.

Europa Star Jewellery: You grew up surrounded by gemstones. What memories do you have of your father’s workshop?

Eugenia Bruni: Memories that fill me with joy. There was something immensely reassuring about my father’s first workshop. It was a place where I would happily spend time. It was still a small company, with five or six employees. My mother used to help out. I still have a very intimate recollection of what was, to my eyes, a wonderful and beautiful place. I’d quietly observe the people around me, especially the goldsmiths. Back then, everyone did a bit of everything, for example the goldsmiths would also sketch designs. One of them was actually still working with me until recently. He retired just a few days ago and, after spending a lifetime together, his absence feels very strange.

The Rosina high jewellery collection is inspired by Eugenia Bruni’s encounter with the now abandoned home of her late great-aunt Rosina, and with the abundant nature that had reclaimed a forgotten space. Among this mass of greenery, a single rose bloomed.

It must have seemed quite a magical place for a small child.

It did. Growing up in a world of symbols and precious stones was a wonderful thing. The downside was that everything else seemed ordinary in comparison. I felt my real life was at the workshop. Away from there, I always felt a little bit lost and out of place. I’m someone who enjoys her own company and being among nature. I like to immerse myself in silence and creation. That I felt so comfortable in the workshop made it harder for me to relate to the outside world. At infant school and later, when I enrolled at art school, people were always telling me I was “in my own little world” and tried to bring me back down to earth. One of the goldsmiths used to pick me up from infant school and take me back to the workshop, and I’d still go there when I was older and in high school. It’s where I learned everything I know, everything that has shaped who I am.

What did you learn from your father, in terms of jewellery-making but also beauty?

The first, very important thing I learned from my father was courage. He started his brand at a time when it wasn’t easy to stand out from the crowd, yet he dared to trust his instincts and have faith in his imagination. This was a huge inspiration for me. We’re very similar in that respect. He was totally engrossed in his work, perhaps a little too much, sometimes. He poured heart and soul into what he did. I grew up surrounded by these energies which have made me who I am. From a very young age, I was completely immersed in the business. My father never handed me anything on a plate, just as no-one ever gave him something for nothing. I enjoyed drawing so he’d give me an enamel to work on, have me arrange the window displays, or take me with him to trade fairs…

Would you describe your father as a master?

Yes. For me, he was a master. He taught me to always want more. He wasn’t the type to content himself with what he had and that taught me to always aim higher. He was both a goldsmith and a creative. I called him “the architect of jewellery”. He gave me the technical skills to transform the worlds I imagine into jewellery infused with a soul. Nature, my other master, taught me freedom and the anatomy of living things. These are my foundations.

You became creative director in 2001. What was your first decision, from a creative standpoint?

To introduce freedom. Growing up in a small village, expressing freedom was essential. In 2001 I launched the Rugiada collection. Its fluid forms echoed my determination to bring out jewellery’s soul and give it a voice. That was my first creative expression: a manifestation of freedom.

Some of your designs are very personal, such as the Rosina collection that was inspired by your great-aunt’s house, now empty and abandoned, where a single magnificent rose bloomed. How did you feel when you first saw this rose?

I hadn’t returned to the village where I was born in many years and even though I rarely take time off, I wanted to make this journey back to my family origins. My father told me it was pointless, that there was nothing left, but I went anyway and found a house now totally inhabited by nature. It made me realise just how much we are a part of nature and how nature will always reclaim the spaces we leave behind. One of the first things I saw was a butterfly which I followed to a clearing among the vines and undergrowth. From there, I could see the mountains and, in the midst of all this greenery, the most extraordinarily beautiful rose. Setting eyes on this single rose that had blossomed in the coolness of the morning dew, my mind went back to my grandparents and my father, the lives they had led, and straight away I thought of my great-aunt, who had shown me the strength and resilience of women.

How do you remember her, your aunt Rosina?

She was a tiny woman, quite frail in appearance but really the backbone of the family. She always wore these earrings, like old-fashioned roses, the kind women wore then. When my father arrived in Valenza, she took care of him. Beneath her fragility and small stature, she was a tower of strength!

How is this very personal memory reflected in the collection?

The roses in the collection form a mandala. In each petal I’ve traced something of my family’s life and her life, her strength as well as a fragility which she certainly never showed but was always present, as in these petals. The rose was actually one of the first flowers I made when I became creative director. It’s one of the most difficult flowers to reproduce in jewellery. The rose in the Rosina collection tells of one woman’s journey, how she grew, the lessons she learned, the strength and love of a family. The exteriors are paved with diamonds while inside, rubies and sapphires form a heart. Rosina is a tribute to women, their journey from childhood to womanhood, their divine force.

The roses in the Rosina collection form a mandala. The exteriors are paved with diamonds while inside, rubies and sapphires form a heart.

The rose you found was coral pink whereas the collection is composed almost entirely of diamonds. As someone who loves coloured stones, what made you imagine a collection that is completely white?

Because I wanted it to represent light, elevation and the essence of the soul. Pink sapphires represent compassion, rubies speak of love and diamonds are the embodiment of our higher being, our true self. I wanted Rosina to unite vibrations of love, compassion and light. The inside of the necklace is set with coloured gems so that the wearer can feel their energy directly against her skin, like a dance of hearts and the sky. We are reborn through light and if I can express this in my jewellery, I’m where I’m meant to be.

Could we say Rosina is a gesture of love and gratitude towards the women in your family?

Yes. A gesture of love and gratitude for my family and for every woman who faces life with strength and courage. My mission, through jewellery, is to reawaken women to love. Not a love that imprisons or holds us back but a love that lifts us up, because only then can we be free.

If you could whisper one piece of advice to the women who wear your jewellery, what would it be?

Love yourself so you can love others. With time, I’ve realised that gemstones were teaching me how to love myself and that this love then radiates out to others, unconditionally.