By Morris Dye

When metalsmith Jacopus Torrini registered his trademark in Florence in 1369, Geoffrey Chaucer hadn't written The Canterbury Tales, the population of Paris was small enough to fit comfortably in an American football stadium, and more than a century would pass before Christopher Columbus was due to sail the ocean blue.

Twenty-five generations later, the Torrini dynasty survives as one of the most revered names in Italian jewelry, and its distinctive high-fashion designs are gaining an increasingly loyal following here as well.

"They bring to our product line a sense of history meshed with art and fashion," says Lauren Kulchinsky, vice president and co-owner of Mayfair Diamonds & Fine Jewelry, a Torrini retailer based in Woodbury, N.Y. "It's for people who don't define fashion as what's hot at the moment... It's something that, when you own it, you will have it for life."

Under the stewardship of Franco Torrini and his son Fabrizio — the 24th- and 25th-generation heirs to the family business — the current Torrini collection takes an eclectic approach to jewelry design, ranging from austere, almost-medieval-looking rings, chains and pendants to haute-couture ornaments of intricately cast gold set with diamonds and other precious stones.

In addition to three lines of women's jewelry that make up the majority of the collection, Torrini offers button covers, cufflinks and money clips for men, as well as watches, pens and a full line of silver giftware.

Perhaps the most distinguishing characteristic of Torrini craftsmanship is a finishing technique known as Oro Nativo, which means "native gold" in Italian.

Franco Torrini developed the process 35 years ago using a proprietary dipping solution derived from the writings of celebrated Renaissance sculptor and goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini. This so-called "Cellinian Water," the formula for which remains a closely guarded company secret, brings out rich, natural colors in the worked metal, and the antiqued look has become a signature component of Torrini designs.

Torrini craftsmen employ the earthy Oro Nativo finish in concert with various finely wrought surface treatments to create a wide range of unusual visual effects. The simple geometry and dimpled texture of Torrini's Etrusca chains, for example, make them look like ancient artifacts salvaged from a Mediterranean shipwreck. On the Zero bracelet, one of Kulchinsky's best-selling Torrini items, the gold assumes a surprisingly soft, organic appearance in the shape of a leather belt with a buckle-like clasp studded with small gems.

"The Zero bracelet is very popular because it's something a woman can wear daytime or evening," says Colleen Rafferty of Christensen & Rafferty Fine Jewelers in San Mateo, Calif. "That process really makes the metal have a particular aura to it. The metal actually does glow."

While Torrini has long been regarded as a high-end designer brand with an exclusive and generally mature clientele, jewelry expert Randi Molofsky, founder of a New York-based fashion consultancy called Moodring, says that the company has recently diversified its collection in response to the economic downturn of the past few years.

"They've made jewelry that's more playful, more fun, with a lower price point, and they've done this to entice a new buyer to be interested in Torrini besides just the people who can afford the most expensive jewelry in the world."

Contemporary or classic, Torrini designs reflect an ongoing effort to stay outside of current trends in jewelry, and Rafferty says the uniqueness of their collection is a large part of the appeal.

"There's no one else in our area that carries this particular product, and that's why we like it. Our clients don't like to see themselves coming and going in the same thing as everyone else."

For Kulchinsky, the attraction goes even deeper. "They are one of the most beautiful families I've ever met, and that translates into what they create every day. And they have something that other houses don't have — gratitude and humility — and that is a wonderful trait to have, especially when you are in the luxury business."

For more information, including locations of Torrini retailers worldwide, visit www.torrini.it.

Next: Torrini Goldsmiths