Denisa Piatti is a Washington, DC-based jewelry artist and designer who founded her eponymous brand in 2015. Her collections have ranged from bold, sculptural, contemporary art jewelry to refined pieces, but her purpose has always remained the same: to encourage you to question what precious really means. Denisa does this through three core tenants - combining precious metals with common materials, using traditional jewelry-making techniques, and handcrafting always.
While growing up in Slovakia, Denisa always watched her father work with his hands, transforming branches and other found objects into works of art. Denisa's mother was a pharmacist, and she would meticulously mix chemicals and measure capsules for dispensing. It was through her father's craftsmanship and her mother's attention to detail that would shape Denisa's approach to creating jewelry.
Her parents nourished Denisa's growing interest in art from a young age. Her father, who himself was never permitted to attend art school, encouraged her to follow her own path. At the age of 16, following a rigorous entrance examination, she was one of only seven students accepted into a prestigious art school to study the craft of jewelry. Piatti completed 8 years of intensive studies in Slovakia and Scotland.
Denisa worked with a women’s empowerment project in Zanzibar, Tanzania, teaching women to make jewelry from local resources.
Denisa saw the process of how women harvested seaweed. She was intrigued by the shapes, taking photos and making sketches.
A collection was born.