For Immediate Release:              

Legendary Jewelry Company, Gennaro Borriello, Partners with Chicago-based Designer Jason Burdeen to Showcase Line of Handcrafted Cameo Pieces

Chicago, IL (October 4, 2010) – Gennaro Borriello Jewelers, Italian carvers noted for their indomitable hands of skill, has joined forces with master jewelry designer Jason Burdeen to present their new collection titled, Preziosa or "Precious", a line of handcrafted rings, necklaces, and earrings inspired by the cameo, a prestigious symbol of royalty from the 16th century. Burdeen brings his modern flair to the timeless company with his hand-numbered, carefully crafted designs inspired by the Indian, Italian and Indonesian cultures. He will be touring the country this fall to showcase the unique, upscale pieces at Neiman Marcus stores throughout the U.S.

Upcoming trunk shows include:
November 12th: Scottsdale, AZ
November 19th: Beverly Hills, CA
November 20th: Newport Beach, CA
December 11th: Chicago, IL

Having worked with Burdeen for many years, the Gennaro Borriello company decided that a joint venture would combine their classic appeal with his innovative perspective and techniques to both enhance the company and expand their presence in the United States. According to Antonella Borriello, President of Gennaro Borriello Jewelers and co-creator of the Preziosa Collection, "I was very lucky to meet Jason; he loved the materials we were working with as well as the stories behind the jewel cameos. His ideas and passion for beauty and hand made jewelry makes this a wonderful and exciting collaboration."

Burdeeen adds, "I was excited to work with the beautiful designs Antonella created for Preziosa and collaborated with her to incorporate some of my specialties learned from several years as a goldsmith. Together, we've revolutionized the creation of fine cameo jewelry."

Each design from the Preziosa collection is unique in that the cameos are created with a permanent color, resulting from a patented process, which mines the fine dust of hard gemstones. Colored stones illuminate the borders, adding an additional glow and modern flair. Natural purple and pink sapphires, 18K rose gold, and 18K black rhodium-coated white gold transcend each stone into a piece of wearable art, worthy to catch any eye.

Burdeen's travels to Italy, India, and Bali inspired him to create the most recent pieces for the Preziosa line that encompass spirituality, love and beauty. In Bali, he was inspired by the OM, the most sacred of sounds in the Asian culture, representing four stages of consciousness: awake, sleeping, dreaming, and transcendentalism. Another design, patented by the company, is the Phantasm. This symbol is intimate, as its message can be worn close to the heart. The Phantasm is created using the transparency of the cameo shell, allowing carvers to engrave any sort of message into it. The emblem can only be recognized when light shines in from behind, encompassing the meaning of phantasm, something seen yet has no physical reality.

Gennaro Borriello and Jason Burdeen's united endeavor will bring about an elevated level of excellence to the jewelry industry, as well as a spiritual awakening to their clients, through the beauty and unique characteristics of each piece. These unique pieces are available at Borsheim's, Neiman Marcus and select jewelers throughout the world.

About Jason Burdeen
Jason Aron Burdeen earned his graduate jeweler degree from California's Gemological Institute of America, and spent his childhood watching his father facet gemstones and hand-fabricate earrings and brooches for high-profile clients. Growing up in a family of acclaimed jewelers provided Burdeen with a solid foundation in quality and innovative jewelry techniques. For the past 15 years, Burdeen, a certified Jewelers of America master bench jeweler, has devoted himself to the art, design and manufacture of high-end pieces set in platinum, diamonds and gold. His art is inspired by the many years he has spent traveling the world as well as his passion for anthropology, religion, and history. Burdeen is currently based in Chicago, and lives with his family in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. For more information, visit www.gennaroborriello.com.

About Gennaro Borriello Jewelers
Gennaro Borriello, originator of the company, was born in Torre del Greco in 1936. Always passionate about the beauty of cameo design, Borriello created his first cameo at age thirteen. After years of traveling, ultimately dreaming to become an entrepreneur, Borriello, founded Gennaro s.r.l. with his wife, Marianna Belardo, in 1958. Teaming up with his wife, a talented coral crafter, added to the highly skilled and beautiful products the company created. Their son and four daughters also take on leadership within the company, guaranteeing its success and future stability. Gennaro Borriello s.r.l. has been recognized by several outlets. They have received awards from the Chamber of Commerce of Great Britain and the countries of the Commonwealth in 1970, the Chamber of Commerce American in Italy in 1990, and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Japan in 2001 and 2002. In 2000, Gennaro Borriello had the privilege of being received by the Pope Giovanni Paolo II at which time Gennaro Borriello s.r.l. presented a cameo specially created for him.

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