Uno Alla Volta means one at a time in Italian and describes how our artisans lovingly create each treasure. And, taking things uno alla volta is at the core of our philosophy for living a meaningful life. Our merchandising team travels the world in search of artisans with whom we can collaborate to create our very special designs. Recently, our merchandising team took a journey across the Atlantic in order to meet with our Italian artisans to bring our new ideas and designs to life.

Two members of our merchandising team – Marina, Amelia, and our copywriter Anna – traveled through Venice, the Isle of Murano, and Florence to meet with the artisans who create some of our customers’ favorite treasures, such as our Florentine bucket bags, our hand blown glass, and our Murano jewelry.

Anna documented her trip in a travel log that we would like to share with you. Throughout the next two weeks, Anna will share with us what she learned about the power of communication, the importance of family, her favorite foods, and more. Join Anna on her journey as she shares her experience with our Uno Alla Volta family.

Amelia, Marina, and Anna take in the beautiful Italian scenery around them

Blue hues are the perfect accompaniment to a cool, spring night. Whether it’s for an evening out or a night spent in, these shades of cobalt treasures will bring a breeze to your evening. Take a chic navy clutch made of Florentine suede to your night out, and accessorize your outfit with Hana’s leaves-inspired blue necklace. Enjoy a night in with Mark’s Blue Swirl Iridescent Wine Glass, which is handcrafted to create a beautiful indigo and azure swirling glass stem.

Italian Suede And Leather Wristlet

Our Florentine artisans handcraft this structured periwinkle wristlet using luxurious Italian suede and leather. Function meets fashion in this soft-to-the-touch wristlet, which is equally light to carry as it is bold to show off. The inner pocket features a contrasting red interior, which can fit all of your essentials for a night out in spring.This one-of-a-kind clutch is a beautiful addition to your ensemble on a cool spring evening.

Blue Leaves Necklace

Hana, our Georgia artisan, takes inspiration from beautiful leaves and the traditional Bohemian style of glassmaking as she handcrafts her new Blue Leaves Necklace. Once her initial design is complete, she collaborates with her partner artisans in the Czech Republic to bring her artistic vision to life. Each lightweight, memory wire piece is adorned with glass in this abstract leaf pattern. Her treasures are handcrafted exclusively for Uno Alla Volta, from the heart and hands of the artisan.

Mark’s Iridescent Blue Swirl Wine Glass

Our New Orleans artisan, Mark, is a master of hand-blown glassware. Using only a blowpipe and hand tools, Mark masterfully shapes layers of richly-colored iridescent glass, then uses a cold-fusion technique to create each swirled stemware piece. Forty years’ experience has taught him to anticipate the glass’ response to slight changes of movement or additions of color, and it is this expertise has led to this beautiful cerulean wine glass. Mark’s blue swirl iridescent wine glasses are a beautiful addition to your evening whether you are hosting guests or spending a night in.

Ever since I founded Uno Alla Volta in 2002, we have been devoted to keeping artisan traditions alive. Throughout the world, ancient crafts which have been passed generation-to-generation through the centuries are disappearing.

No place is this more evident than on Venice’s lagoon isle of Murano – the world’s capital of glass-making since the thirteenth century. During my recent visit, Nina, Lorena’s mom allowed me to watch her create beads for one of your favorite necklaces. What skill it required and what hard work. Each bead takes a long time to produce. Nina said to me, “the young folks, they just don’t want to work this hard.” I couldn’t help but wonder what the world may be like in another decade or two without new generations picking up the torch.

My husband was with me on this particular trip and it was interesting for me to watch his reaction to these traditions and to all the beautiful glass jewels we saw in each of our artisan’s workshops. He expressed a sense of awe at all the colors and the feelings of abundance. He said to me, “Terri, your catalogs do not yet capture this essence. Your customers want to feel what I’m feeling, see what I’m seeing.”

And, so, I devote this issue to bringing to you that sense of wonder and abundance.

Terri S. Alpert

Founder & CEO

T.Alpert@unoallavolta.com

Nina, Lorena’s mom

Our Israeli artisan Ori has been creating sparkling treasures for over 20 years. Working alongside his team of talented artisans, each piece is carefully hand-cast in precious metals from a handmade mold, creating jewelry that is unique and flawlessly textured.

Ori was born in the Beit Shean Valley, which he recalls as a beautiful place filled with lakes. Growing up, he was a creative child who would sit for hours and draw pictures on the wall of his parents’ house. In 1983, he left the city and moved to Haifa, where he fell in love with the blue sea. It was there as a teenager that his dream turned into reality. In 1997, he decided to set up a small workshop for jewelry design. He began working with artisans from Russia and started to design for the domestic market. Today, Ori takes pride in crafting his treasures using age-old techniques with artisans from around the world.

Each piece in this “Midnight Sparkle” collection is carefully designed, then a unique mold is created so the piece can be cast in sterling silver. Lastly, each piece is set with sparkling, brilliantly blue Swarovski crystals.

Ori’s “Midnight Sparkle” Sterling Silver Bracelet

Ori’s “Midnight Sparkle” Sterling Silver Earrings

Ori’s “Midnight Sparkle” Sterling Silver Necklace

Ori’s “Midnight Sparkle” Sterling Silver Ring

Spring is in full bloom! Stop and smell the roses with our floral treasures, such as our blooming floral wreaths, everlasting roses, and our hand-painted wine glasses. Celebrate spring with our featured floral favorites.

Capodimonte Porcelain Blooming Iris

This blooming porcelain iris was masterfully handcrafted by our artisans of Capodimonte, Italy. This porcelain is the finest of Italian artistic pottery, with a history beginning in Naples in 1738. In that year, with clays of pure white color and the finest grain brought in from Calabria, artists created highly detailed objects, which rivaled the best of other European courts. Almost 300 years later, each blooming iris is still individually handcrafted in the most meticulous detail.

Alessandra’s Pink and Raspberry Suede Bucket Bags

Our sister artisans, Alessandra and Elisabetta, have been handcrafting beautiful bucket bags of fine Italian leather that have become a favorite featured product with our una grande famiglia. Their famous bucket bags come in dozens of colors that can be worn all year long, and each is just as unique as each member of Uno Alla Volta’s family. Alessandra masterfully handcrafts each roomy raspberry and blooming blush bucket-style Italian suede handbag in her family-run workshop in Florence, Italy. These sisters carry on the tradition of their late father, Maurizio, who passed on his passion for fine leathercrafting to his daughters. Our featured artisans continue to anticipate fashion trends with sophisticated styles, luxurious leathers and exacting detail. Their chic handbags have developed a strong following, which makes us happy to offer you these colorful bucket bags, handcrafted exclusively for Uno Alla Volta.

Handmade Cat Wreath

Lush flower fields in Baja, California, Mexico provide our floral designer and her team with the materials to bring this cat wreath to life. Created exclusively for Uno Alla Volta, this floral treasure features natural caspia, sinuata, phalaris, larkspur and hydrangea on a natural twig base. Each wreath is arranged by hand, uno alla volta, and is accented with a golden bow and a black cat silhouette. The gorgeous array of colors featured in this wreath make it the perfect accent for any home this spring.

Smadar is proud to introduce her unique designs to the US, exclusively through Uno Alla Volta.

During her recent trip to the Galilee, Terri was captivated by Smadar’s distinctive, colorful designs. Smadar hand-sculpts each creation by twisting gold-plated wire into a series of loops, each perfectly spaced, and then dipped into colorful resins. The result is an iridescence reminiscent of mother-of-pearl, a playfulness, and an elegance.

Born and raised in Nazareth Illit Israel, Smadar designed her very first piece when she was a high school student studying art and design. What started as hobby later turned into a successful career that fills her life with joy.

After she finished her military service duty, Smadar began working at the Diamond Exchange District in IGI Ltd: a gemologist lab that specializes in identifying, ranking and classification of gems and diamonds.

In addition to her IGI job, Smadar continued to develop with her husband what would become her home jewelry business. She learned about metalsmithing during a trip to India, and when she got back to Israel she filed an application right away to the most famous goldsmithing school in Israel, called Maziar, which is located in the diamond district in Tel Aviv.

Smadar is known for her multifaceted approach to jewelry design and unique, contemporary vision. Her work draws upon clean elegant lines while creating a visual dialogue between fundamental elements of nature and telling stories of hope and renewal.

Smadar says that her experience in the field of jewelry design taught her that she will have to work hard with every little piece she creates and therefore, it is very important to enjoy the process. The design process as she sees it is based on ‘trial and error’ and on finding new ways to use the tools she has to create unique designs. One of her principles is to keep an open mind throughout the process, because sometimes the final piece is completely different than the original idea.

To learn more of Smadar’s story, and see her full Raspberry and Jade Looped Jewel collection, visit: www.unoallavolta.com/smadar.

Smadar’s Raspberry And Jade “Looped Jewels” Necklace

Smadar’s Raspberry And Jade “Looped Jewels” Fan Earrings

Smadar’s Raspberry And Jade “Looped Jewels” Circle Earrings

Smadar’s Raspberry And Jade “Looped Jewels” Structured Bracelet

Uno Alla Volta customers love millefiori caning. When done with polymer clay rather than the traditional glass, the designs are brilliantly colored to create joyful hues and beautiful patterns. Imagine our delight when we discovered Daria of Canada, who brings this beautiful art form to a new purpose: embellishing glassware. Her vibrant new collection of wine glasses comes just in time for spring with their intricate floral designs of vivid violet, magenta, and lime.

Daria’s innate creativity reflects the simplicity of using materials that were available to her as a child growing up in Canada. Specifically, she attributes much of her inspiration for creating handmade artwork to a scarf she made for her father when she was just 9 years old. She cherished the idea of being able to handcraft a gift for someone she loved. Even though her scarf had flaws, which is expected of a 9 year old making her very first knitted project, her father loved the scarf because it was functional, practical, and most importantly, made by Daria.

Today, this is Daria’s basis for the majority of her creations: functional, practical, and beautiful (although she admits they are much better finished than that first scarf!) Everything she makes is made with joy and color.

Daria’s collection of millefiori-caned glassware will add fun, festivity, and brightness to your springtime table setting.

Daria’s Millefiori-Caned Red Wine Glass

Daria’s Millefiori-Caned Stemless Wine Glass

Daria’s Millefiori-Caned White Wine Glass

Spring is right around the corner and Easter is on its way. Spring into the Easter season with our customer-favorite Polish pottery “Secret Garden” collection. Whether you are hosting an Easter dinner or just love celebrating spring, our Polish pottery figurines and tableware make any day brighter.

Terri delighted in collaborating with our Poland artisan, Weronika, to design the motif for these bunny salt and pepper shakers. Once again, Uno Alla Volta is proud to bring you exclusive Polish pottery. Weronika’s team of artisans in Boleslawiec hand-paint each flower using both carved sponges and a fine brush onto native earthenware. These gorgeous pieces are of heirloom quality to be treasured for generations. These pieces are high-fired for durability, and are oven, microwave and dishwasher safe. These handcrafted bunny salt and pepper shakers are sure to add joy to any meal.

Polish Pottery ”Secret Garden” Bunny Shakers

Hop into the Easter season with our five-star Polish pottery Easter eggs. Our Polish artisans bring the beauty of their traditional hand-painted stoneware to each highly collectible Polish pottery Easter egg, which are glazed and fired uno alla volta at high temperatures for everlasting beauty. Each is masterfully handcrafted from the hearts and hands of artisans, exclusively for Uno Alla Volta and is signed by the artisan. No two will be exactly alike.

Polish Pottery “Hannah” Easter Egg

Polish Pottery ”Sarah” Easter Egg

Polish Pottery “Julia” Easter Egg

Polish Pottery “Gia” Easter Egg

Polish Pottery ”Adrianna” Easter Egg

Put your collectible eggs on display with our “Secret Garden” Kissing Bunny Egg Dish!

Visit our website to see our whole collection of Spring Polish pottery.

Inspired by the beauty of her Virginia Beach home, Margaret creates works of functional art. Her pieces range from fun, seasonal holiday designs to elegant floral motifs. Each of Margaret’s pieces has its own personality, just like all of the wonderful members of our una grande famiglia.

After a long day spent gardening, balance work and play with Margaret’s Hand-Painted Floral Watering Can and her Hand-Painted Tulip Wine Glass. In a meticulous seven-hour process, she first hand-paints this gorgeous design, then bakes the design onto each glass so that the decoration is dishwasher safe. Add a sweet touch of spring to your table with this fabulous wine glass. Each hand-painted wine glass is made one at a time and no two will be exactly alike.

In that very same seven-hour process, she hand-paints each watering can with a tulip design, then bakes each one to ensure the decoration can withstand the elements. This beautiful piece can be utilized indoors or out, and is as gorgeous as it is functional.

Enjoy a cool glass of lemonade with Margaret’s “Luau” Hand-Painted Carafe – the perfect complement to her colorful floral wine glasses. Try this lemonade recipe for the whole family to enjoy:

Perfect Homemade Lemonade  (courtesy of Ree Drummond of FoodNetwork.com)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups sugar
• 4 cups fresh lemon juice
• 2 lemons, sliced
• Ice, for serving

Directions:

In a large saucepan, heat the sugar and 4 cups water until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is hot. Allow to cool, and then place into a large drink dispenser or jug. Add 2 gallons cold water, the lemon juice and lemon slices and stir to combine. Refrigerate and allow the lemonade to chill completely.

Serve with ice in with Margaret’s “Luau” Hand-Painted Carafe and her matching glasses!

Margaret’s hand-painted glassware comes in a variety of colors and designs perfect for spring. To see her whole collection, view her artisan page.

With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, we’re finding tons of gold. We have beautiful handmade treasures from the hearts and hands of artisans that are sure to bring luck your way this St. Patrick’s Day.

“Golden Envy” Venetian Glass Necklace

To create each Golden Envy Venetian glass necklace, artisans in a family-run workshop in the heart of Venice combine octagonal chunks of gold-colored Venetian glass with green marbleized and translucent lampwork beads to meet a smooth emerald green glass pendant that serves as the focal point. Antiqued metal accents and gold-plated findings are intermixed to finish this stunning glass necklace.

Celtic Knot Hair Pin

This gold Celtic knot hair pin by our Alabama artisan, Sarah, is back by popular demand. Sarah, who specializes in metal mesh artwork, has been working with us for many years and her unique products have become a favorite among our customers. Each nautical knot hair pin is individually hand-shaped from brass mesh, then coated with bronze powders in a protective lacquer coating to create the shimmery matte finish. Rows of twisted rope mesh join to form each knot, adding a twist to any hairstyle this holiday season.

Beaded Bohemian Skinny Scarf

Elizabeth of New York City is known for creating innovative styles inspired by the glitz and glamour of the city around her. Surrounded by the sights and sounds of The Big Apple, Elizabeth wanted to recreate NYC’s sparkle within an accessory, and this scarf does just that. Elizabeth collaborated with her master printers in India, who took her original art and transferred the pattern onto luxurious, beaded silk to create a radiant design for our una grande famiglia. Glow with glamour by wearing this fabulous gold scarf, made slowly and carefully just for you, to allow an eccentric touch to any ensemble.