Matthew Campbell Laurenza

American-born, though a global citizen at heart, Laurenza is a true artist: his body of work, spanning over two decades, encompasses sculpture, objets d’arts, fine jewelry and painting, all reflective of his extensive and continuing travels. His pieces are held in private collections the world-over, and have been displayed in exhibitions at luxury stores such as Harrods, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Lane Crawford, from Asia, Russia and the Middle East, to Europe and the United States. The fluidity to Laurenza’s designs maps his journeys across the planet, expresses his profound interest in history and culture, and is a virtual library of his cumulative experience. A meticulous craftsmanship is one of the hallmarks of his works—and when blended with natural, precious and semi-precious stones, the results are enviable and opulent articulations of this special artist's unique soul. 

Dedicated to the value and sustainability of authentic craft, Laurenza insists on intricate handcrafting by skilled artisans compensated with fair wages. He recycles, reuses and repurposes wherever possible, while ensuring ethical sourcing and production. Under his personal mantra of ‘cherishable, not perishable,’ he creates timeless pieces with a stringent quality of finish.

Laurenza’s designs stand as works of art, showcasing superb traditional craftsmanship with the finest materials and ancient techniques. His intensive, and often lengthy, design process ensures exceptional quality rivaling top-tier luxury labels. Design inspiration and its intricacies are derived from the art, architecture, culture, and history he immerses himself in. 

The first stage of design usually takes place in Laurenza’s sketchbook, where he translates his inspirations into preliminary drawings; although, at times, he instantly takes to carving abstract forms which reveal themselves as he works. The designs are then tweaked to perfection, before actual prototypes are executed. No computer-generated images are ever used in the creation of his designs.

Quality and production measures are extremely stringent for each piece Laurenza designs and creates. Colorful natural stones are sourced from around the world, then selected and combined, for each unique design. All rough stones are chosen by certified staff and shaped by the finest stone-cutters, to ensure optimum clarity and beauty. The provenance of stones offers a nuance to each design, whether in surface texture or color gradient, and provides each a unique identity. He takes great care in choosing each stone to perfectly match the desired aesthetic for placement in each work of art. Furthermore, he strictly forbids the use of adhesive products to glue stones in place, and only implements hand-setting. This labor-intensive technique not only provides secure setting for every stone, but also results in superior texture and more vibrant sparkle.

Preserving these centuries-old, small-batch, artisanal techniques is one of Matthew’s missions, and the longevity this ensures stands in stark contrast to today’s unsustainable, fast-fashion tendencies of mass production.