Collevilca: An Italian Story of the World’s Best Crystal
Being recognized as one of the world’s best crystal producer, the agency of Collevilca is located in the abundant Tuscan valley of Colle di Val d’Elsa. Known for its luminous transparency and brilliance, each crystal piece is made at the hand of master artisans to make Collevilca one of the most respected high-end crystal producers in the industry.
Led by Giampiero Brogi, Collevilca is a small family-owned business now in its second generation. “The art of crystal making is in the formula of the prima materia,” explains Brogi. “The original raw materials are the most important part of making crystal. It is fundamental to Collevilca to only source the best.” Employing the traditional way of the masters, the crystal is alchemized from the secret recipe of molten liquid mass through the expert touch and keen skill of the artisans who blow, mould, model and craft each piece by hand. Witnessing each piece being created is like a meditative dance in itself with delicate skill and age-old techniques. It is a mixture of ancient secrets and modern finesse.
The beginnings of Collevilca date back to 1960, when the business was founded by Brogi’s father and uncle who had originally gained their experience outside of Italy, one going to Ireland to work for Waterford and the other in Switzerland. Eventually the two returned to Italy at the request of their father to assess the possibility of bringing their experience to Italy with other partners, and they formed the business called Vilca. The brothers went on to buy out their partners in 1980 securing their sole family propriety, and in 2003 Brogi and his cousins eventually took the decision to trade under the current day name of Collevilca.
Glass blowing has been a part of the Italian history since ancient times. On the Italian peninsula, it was the ancient Romans who first employed the glass-blowing technique. For over 800 years the valley of Colle d’Elsa has long been an important center for its glass works as the sandy earth provided the optimal material. Documents leading back to the 1300s show that local production of glass vessels of the time serviced the largely agricultural community of Colle Val d’Elsa to store the wine and olive oil. In medieval times, the valley gained much importance as the famous Francigiana road passed through the area, which serviced thousands of pilgrims travelling on their way to either Rome or towards the Crusades in Jerusalem. This cross-fertilization of people and cultures, especially the French, had a large influence on the area. In Renaissance times, glass works were fashioned for the tables of the wealthy and powerful as dining became an art form. Documents from the 1800’s, show the area as being renowned for its crystal production from the archives of French-based Baccarat which catalogued artistic pieces crafted from Colle Val d’Elsa. In the more recent times of the 1980s, master glass blowers from Venice came to the area to learn from the expert artisans of Collevilca.
Italians are known as great innovators and Collevilca is a prime example. During their own history these last 60 years, they have continually had to adapt to their various clients, trends and needs of the crystal market. “Twenty years ago, it was a completely different business,” Brogi explains. With each trend and turn in the market they have had to fashion their crystal in unique and creative ways. “The crisis in 2008 affected us adversely just like everyone else,” he reveals. “We suffered and had to change.” They decided to restructure and transform their business and found a niche in the “Wedding List” market as at the time there were 600 businesses in Italy alone that serviced these wedded couples. However, from 2012 onwards, with the changing tastes of less-materialistic millennials, once again Collevilca had to adapt as the wedding list business took a downturn.
“Today we have turned more towards bespoke design for commercial clients,” explains Brogi. “Quality for Collevilca is one of the most important motivations for us.” With the expertise on hand from master glass blowers who have worked at the agency anywhere from 14 to 30 years, their excellence shows. Being recognized by today’s big-name clients such as Prada, Johnny Walker, Gucci, Dior, Cartier and Campari they have found their stride once again. “The work is more meticulous. We now create more piece by piece, instead of in volume,” Brogi explains. “We are being asked to do private commissions in our design work.”
As their work becomes more bespoke, Collevilca is also playing host to many more artists from all over the world who want to make sculptural pieces and better learn the profession and the skill. “Italians, Americans, Belgians who want to learn have come to us. It is very stimulating for us,” Brogi smiles. “When they come with their passion and large ideas, it is interesting to see what we can create together.”
“We are optimistic that this generation of products will continue,” Brogi smiles. Asked what innovation he would like to undertake in the future, he explains, “Our next challenge is to look for simple solutions to make a beautiful luminous product without lead.” Sustainability hopefully looking to be the next trend.