Bea Bongiasca’s ‘Tarallo’ Collection Expansion Is a Zoo

The pieces in “Animali Tarallo” portray animals from stingrays to elephants through portraits and interpretations of their patterns.

Natalie Francisco natalie.francisco@nationaljeweler.com

Bea Bongiasca Animali Tarallo Collection Royal Blue Tang Fish “Dory”

Bea Bongiasca’s “Dory Tarallo” earrings reimagine the Royal Blue Tang fish in silver with hand-painted enamel detailing ($1,000). They are seen here in the designer’s “Under the Sea” immersive installation by Italian paper artist Mauro Seresini.

Milan—Bea Bongiasca has expanded her “Tarallo” collection with pieces certain to appeal to animal lovers.

Based on the curled shape of Italian taralli crackers, the limited-edition “Animali Tarallo” collection features hand-painted enamel animal portraits and interpretations of different species’ fur or scales on rings and earrings.

Animali Tarallo was created as a nod to Bongiasca’s lifelong admiration for the beauty of nature and its unmatched artistry, the brand said.

The rings represent the diversity of the animal kingdom, including mammals, amphibians, and mollusks, while the earrings show the kaleidoscopic beauty of creatures’ bold, colorful designs.

Instead of focusing on leopard or zebra print, Bongiasca reimagined the hues and patterns of tropical fish, nudibranchs, and tree frogs.

Bea Bongiasca Tree Frog Tarallo Ring — Bea Bongiasca’s “Tree Frog Tarallo” ring with “ocean blue” enamel over .925 silver and a hand-painted enamel frog portrait is her favorite ring and the first piece she drew for this collection ($920).

Bea Bongiasca Parrotfish Tarallo Earrings — The “Parrotfish Tarallo” earrings in silver with enamel detailing over “flamingo pink” enamel ($1,000)

Bea Bongiasca Ladybug Tarallo Ring — The “Ladybug Tarallo” ring is 9-karat yellow gold with a hand-painted enamel ladybug accent ($2,750).

Bea Bongiasca One-of-a-kind Tuxedo Cat Tarallo Ring — Custom pet portraits, like this “Tuxedo Cat Tarallo” ring, will be available beginning in September. Prices start from $920.

“It was very difficult to choose what to do as I had so many ideas, but in the end, I decided to work on animal prints for the earrings and more literal animals for the rings, as it is easier to read the animals on the rings than it is on earrings,” Bongiasca said.

“I have done a lot of research on tropical fish as I find that they have the most beautiful colors, so for the prints I concentrated mainly on that, as well as some more classic zebra as well. For the animals it does seem like an odd group, but they really worked well with the ‘Tarallo’ shape, and I loved the final effect and how they are similar but different.”

The first drop of the Animali Tarallo collection is set to debut with 11 styles on April 8, coordinating with Milan Design Week.

Stingrays, zebras, snakes, nautiluses, Tang fishes, elephants, horses, tree frogs, clownfishes, and parrotfishes all came to life through enamel paintings over either sterling silver or, for one style, 9-karat yellow gold.

The brand collaborated with an enamel artist to create these unique paintings that are layered on top of base colors.

“I had so much fun designing all of them. Usually when I draw a jewel, it takes a long time to get from the idea to the finished piece but with this collection, it was the opposite,” Bongiasca said. “The hardest part was limiting the amount of pieces I was designing.”

A second release of pieces in the Animali Tarallo collection is set for September.

The continuation of the collection will include darker colorways, additional animals, and more customization options.

As a tribute to Bongiasca’s favorite animal—the cat—she will launch a special feline lover’s capsule collection. Clients will be able to custom-order a hand-painted portrait of their cat on a Tarallo ring.

The collection retails from $900 and will be available on the Bea Bongiasca website, at the brand’s flagship boutique, and at select retailers worldwide.

Bongiasca has also already started taking custom orders for clients requesting pet portraits; “to my joy, especially cats,” she said.