What is not obvious from the photograph of this brooch is its sheer size. It measures 12cm (5”) which even by my standards is a large brooch. But despite its size it is surprisingly light, this is because it is made of plexiglass, a type of acrylic.
Formespazioroma was established in 2006, in the countryside outside Rome by Sonia Stuppia & Luigi Cigola. Sonia is from Palermo and studied oriental languages and cultures in Rome. Her studies focused on art. Luigi was born in Brescia, northern Italy. He studied art before moving to Rome to “breathe in the art, and history of one of the most beautiful cities in the world”. Sonia and Luigi describe themselves as “children of the twentieth century”.
Every Formespazioroma piece is designed and handmade by Sonia and Luigi inspired by art and the modern world. And recently they have begun making tailored clothes, featuring the geometrics they love so much.
A few years ago they opened a shop in Ovindoli, a village in the Apennine Mountains near Rome and very recently they opened a shop in Tagliazozzo, listed as ‘one of the most beautiful villages in Italy’, toponym means “cut in the rock” and comes from the Latin talus (cut) and cotium (rock). A magnificent setting and one can only imagine how this landscape inspires Sonia and Luigi.
Plexiglass is a brand name for polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), a transparent, shatterproof thermoplastic. Widely known as acrylic or acrylic glass, it is lightweight and can be easily coloured. The German chemist Otto Röhm created polymerized methyl methacrylate, creating a clear, durable, and highly elastic plastic in 1928, and patented the material as Plexiglas in 1933. During the 1930s and 1940s the British company Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) developed their own version, marketing it as Perspex. And in France E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont) developed a similar material, calling it Lucite. Today PMMAs are widely used in a variety of ways, paints, nails, display stands, medical and dental appliances and of course jewellery. I have many items in my collection. I love the bright colours and the ability of designers to create imaginative pieces of wearable art.