I often visit various jewelry websites, mainly to check out my competitors. In particular, I focus on researching "handcrafted" jewelry. There are many talented creatives and artists: some have their own websites, others sell exclusively on social media, and then there are those who, thanks to effective communication, have become real influencers.
However, I often come across brands that label their jewelry as "handcrafted" while producing necklaces, bracelets, and pendants in large quantities and distributing them in jewelry stores at extremely competitive prices.
We see relentless social media advertising, products sent to influencers... but the question arises: how can a truly handcrafted product maintain such a low price and be distributed on a large scale?
To clarify: my pieces are few because I create them myself, with my own hands, one by one. I handle production, distribution, and pricing. The time available to make them is limited, and the lead time for custom creations is inevitably longer.
A bracelet that costs 6 euros, distributed throughout Italy and produced in massive quantities, all identical—can it really be called handcrafted?
I often ask myself this as an artisan because, to me, craftsmanship means uniqueness, local production, and pieces that will never be exactly the same.
Craftsmanship is also about the connection with the person behind a product, with their story. I think, for example, of the workshops in Santo Stefano di Camastra, here in Sicily. Each workshop has its own story, its recognizable style, its magnificent hand-painted ceramics.
Each piece is unique, perhaps with small imperfections that tell the story of the artisan's work.
This, to me, is true craftsmanship: the authentic "handmade," carrying a soul and a story, which cannot be reduced to a mere commercial label.