Photo Massimo Izzo works on the lost-wax cast of a bracelet with seahorses and single piece of raw aquamarine from Brazil. Credit Gianni Cipriano for The New York Times
SIRACUSA, Italy — When the jeweler Massimo Izzo sat down to dinner with a visitor one day in January, the waiter suddenly appeared with an appetizer that hadn't been ordered: sea urchin linguine.
"See! This is what inspires me, this is where I draw from, these people, these surprises!" Mr. Izzo exclaimed.
And one of his most recent creations, part of the Jewels of the Sea collection, is a sand-treated 18-karat gold pendant in the shape of a sea urchin surrounded by coral branches and a diamond- encrusted grouper fish.
Mr. Izzo's designs are an ode to his native Sicily, Hellenic beauty and a life spent along the Medi terranean. "Underwater life enchants me," he said. "That is why elements such as sea horses, octopuses, starfish, crabs and corals take center stage on my jewels."
And the jewelry world is well aware of it. Carol Woolton, jewelry editor of British Vogue, said: "Massimo's work brings Sicily alive using vast vibrant gemstones, coral and gold work which are redolent of the rich fruits, flowers and coastlines. He's working in the tradition of the great master jeweler Fulco di Verdura creating visual effects that bring to mind the bright sights of the Italian island."
Photo Mr. Izzo works on a 18-karat gold ring with sea motifs and a coral starfish from Sardinia. Credit Gianni Cipriano for The New York Times
The designer, 49, son of an officer in the Italian military and an executive at the Italian department store group La Rinascente, was born in Messina but grew up in Siracusa without a sense of pressure about his future. "At 14, I already loved jewelry design, but I also had a thing for the hotel industry," Mr. Izzo said.
The year he graduated from middle school, the state art school in Siracusa began an experimental program in gold and metal smithing. There he met his first mentor, Totò Canigiula, a professor of embossing and engraving techniques, and in the early '80s he became assistant to Salvatore Cassone, then the oldest jeweler in Siracusa, who persuaded him to go out on his own.
It was 1994 when he received his first major commission. "It was my 'aha' moment," Mr. Izzo said. "Pope John Paul II was slated to inaugurate the Shrine of Our Lady of Tears in Siracusa, and the City Hall asked me to create a gift for him" — an embossed silver plate detailing the history of the Catholic Church.
Another career-defining momen t was designing the jewels worn by Monica Bellucci in the 1999 romantic drama "Malèna." Mr. Izzo worked with the director, the Academy Award winner Giuseppe Tornatore, to ensure the character's twisted behavior was matched by the spirals, volutes and curls of the pieces she wore. "The beautiful yet dramatic scenes asked for sober jewels which I borrowed from popular tradition: rosé or yellow gold crosses and black onyx-embedded pink gold earrings," he recalled.
In 2007, to celebrate the first 20 years of his career, he moved his atelier to the vibrant Archimedes Square, an area popular with tourists in Siracusa. The ground floor of a 17th century palace was transformed into a boutique and a glass-walled workroom, so customers could see pieces being made while they shopped.
Mr. Izzo says one his greatest accomplishments has been untethering himself from the rigid style of traditional Sicilian jewelers: "I wanted to experiment with new methods, materials and shapes." Over the years, his travels from the diamond-cutting rooms of Valenza in northern Italy to remote gemstone quarries have led him to innovations.
Photo In Mr. Izzo's atelier in Siracusa, Italy, from left, a bracelet from his Sicilian Lace collection in 18-karat gold with lapis lazuli, periodot and diamonds; and a necklace and bracelet made of 19th century coral from southern Sicily. Credit Gianni Cipriano for The New York Times
"I have coined the term 'cut noncut' — that is a stone hewn only on one side to fit the shape of the jewel," he said. "The rest is in the hands of Mother Nature."
As examples, he referred to an 18-karat gold double ring with diamonds that he created in the shape of coral branches, and a seahorse piece topped by an irregularly cut aquamarine from Brazil.
Mr. Izzo's clients come from around the world; some have seen his work at the Elsa Vanier and the FD Art galleries, in Paris and New York. He also has had exhibitions and trunk shows in locations like Jeddah and San Francisco, and in 2011, he opened what he calls a jewelry gallery in Milan.
"My pieces are made to order, unless the arrival of a new season inspires me to be creative — that's when I start sketching ideas," he said. He dislikes working on collections and disdains logos. "My handicrafts differ from fashion elements as they don't have a short shelf life; they're created to be perpetuated, just like Berber jewels, endlessly bequeathed to younger generations."
Santo Versace, president of the fashion house, has some of Mr. Izzo's pieces. "Massimo's haute jewelry represents a constant dialogue between masterly techniques, outstanding execution and knowledge of the Mediterranean past," he said in an email. "The latter is something we both share."
Tim Burton actually sailed i nto town on Johnny Depp's yacht. "He came back and forth three times and acted like a big kid inside a toy store," Mr. Izzo said. "In the end he bought jewels for his family and the boat crew members." J.K. Rowling, however, asked the designer to come onboard her boat off Riposto, on the eastern side of the island.
In his workshop, Mr. Izzo pulled out two green turquoises from Iran to show a guest the almost surrealist patterns inside the gems. "It's as if the stones hold my hands and accompany me through a creative and inspirational voyage," he said. "The jewel itself is the journey's end, not the point of departure."
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