Vita Bella Kenwood: November 2010

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Vintage inspired jewelry by designer Don Di Lelio

On Sunday, December 12th, Vita Bella Is excited to host our favorite jewelry designer, Don Di Lelio. From 5 - 6:30 we will sip complimentary wine and appetizers as we look at Don's latest creations. He is kind enough to bring some of his vintage estate collection as well. There will be no charge to attend but please RSVP to the store as we will close our doors to the public at 5pm.
Email: janis.vitabella@gmail.com or call, 833-1233. Seating is limited so call now for reservation.

Here is a little background on our kind and talented friend;

Don was raised in San Francisco and there is where he made his fame and fortune. From as early as the impressionable age of ten, he was fascinated by the wonderful jewelry design he admired in a store window when he accompanied his mother on a shopping trip in SF. He was mesmerized by the colors and design of a showcase of enameled jewelry by Matisse and Renoir (circa the mid 1950’s). The memory of this lavish display of design and color still remains strong in his mind today. Don began experimenting with jewelry design in his early teens as he took classes in art in S.F. This led him to designing a line of costume jewelry he crafted and sold throughout the US and abroad beginning in the 1960’s. During this period he also opened a boutique in SF. He expanded to six stores over a period of thirty-five years both in SF and in the Bay Area operating shops in North Beach, Union St., Market St. and other locations. He continued to satiate his hunger for learning new techniques and gaining inspiration by continuing his studies in jewelry design at the College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. Currently retired and living the good life in the scenic mountains just east of Santa Rosa, he still continues to create one-of-a-kind pieces in his studio. With a perfectly quiet setting surrounded by nature, he pursues the joy of creating fantasy jewelry that he hopes will bring as much joy to others as it does it him.