Discover the Sassi Story
Our story begins with a stone: an aquamarine kept for years in Renilde’s jewellery case. She had bought the gem for Hannah, who was curious about her birthstone. As Hannah’s eighteenth birthday approached, Renilde designed a necklace especially for her, drawing upon the structure of an ancient Roman necklace and translating it into a contemporary form.
The finished jewel revealed the possibility of something larger. Its balance of historical reference, coloured stone and modern proportion became the starting point for Sassi Fine Jewellery.
During her studies in art history and throughout her doctoral research, Renilde often imagined how a work of art might be translated into jewellery. That instinct became the foundation of her practice, shaped by historical knowledge, an exacting eye for design and a profound respect for craftsmanship.
Research lies at the heart of every Sassi creation. Renilde begins with the history of an artefact, a place, a woman, a gemstone or an artistic form, then distils its essential character into a jewel conceived for the present. The original source remains legible, while the design acquires a life of its own.
Every design is developed further through Hannah’s architectural eye. Her attention to proportion, structure and the relationship between form and the body brings a distinct discipline to the creative process. Mother and daughter work together until every element feels resolved.
Their collaboration is often reflected in the way clients respond to the jewellery. “Mothers frequently choose a piece with their daughters in mind,” Renilde observes. “They look for jewels they can both love, share and, in some cases, wear in their own way. That connection has become a meaningful part of Sassi.”
Writing in Forbes, Kyle Roderick described Sassi jewellery as “Beautiful, instant heirlooms, alive with the presence of the past, present and future, designed by an art historian-mother and her architect-daughter.”
“A jewel needs history. It needs a soul. Our contemporary designs grow from forms found in jewellery, art and architecture. Their roots in the past place them beyond the cycle of fashion. Every Sassi piece is handcrafted in 18-karat gold, using techniques with ancient origins, including lost-wax casting and granulation. The gemstones are selected for their colour and character, then cut by hand to the precise requirements of each design.”
Renilde Vervoort
Sassi means “stones” in Italian, while its English echo suggests spirit and independence. Renilde recognises something of Sassi’s clients in that word: women who choose jewellery for themselves and know what feels true to them.
“A jewel should reflect who you are,” she says. “And it should be worn. It is a pity to leave it locked away in a safe.”
Every Sassi piece is designed with the wearer in mind. Proportion, movement and comfort are considered from the first sketch, while many jewels can be adapted or worn in more than one way. They travel in hand-made leather pouches designed to slip discreetly into a handbag or suitcase.
From the outset, Renilde understood that coloured stones had shaped jewellery for millennia, long before diamonds came to dominate modern taste. She wanted the technical knowledge to select and source them herself, and trained at the International Gemological Institute, becoming a certified coloured gemstone grader and rough diamond grader.
Colour remains central to Sassi. Renilde works closely with trusted lapidaries, selecting stones for their character and commissioning cuts developed specifically for each design. The relationship between gemstone, gold and form is considered from the beginning, rather than adapted afterwards.
In 2022, her dialogue with the past took a new form through ancient coins and intaglios. In the Tanit collection, these millennia-old artefacts remain the protagonists. Each setting is conceived to preserve their legibility and historical presence, while placing them within a contemporary architectural structure.
Across the collections, history, colour and form come together in a language that is distinctly Sassi.