Irresistible Hand-Painted Paper Jewelry

If your spirits could use lifting or perhaps you're simply in need of a distraction, I have just the ticket... an ever so pretty collection of paper art jewelry from AandCoPaperJewelry, a brand new Etsy shop. I met artist/owner Serena Principato on Instagram... stopped in my tracks by her hand-painted designs and perfectly lovely photographs.

pair of dangling earrings with hand-painted floral design and glass pearls

Floral Dangle Earrings

As a longtime admirer of watercolor art, I struck up a conversation right away. Serena told me she was planning to open an Etsy shop as soon as she found time, so I guess we could say thanks to the pandemic (I'm kidding!). Italy's lockdown gave her a chance to dedicate the many hours it takes to set up shop.

Tattoo-Style Floral Pendant

Each piece that Serena paints is one of a kind with designs inspired by tattoos and tarot cards. The special findings she chooses complement her appealing artwork with extra star power. The process involves creating a painting and then cutting it apart into pleasing shapes. Several layers of protection are applied for water resistance before being assembled into unique necklaces and earrings.

Tarot card stars and moon design hand-painted paper earrings in black and white

Tarot Card La Luna Earrings

Even though the shop text is written in Italian, English translation is available on every page. You may notice the word china shows up in the translated text occasionally... think of India ink instead. China (porcelain) is not used to make these jewelry pieces... rest assured they are lightweight and comfortable to wear. By the way, if you wish to contact Serena, she speaks English very well.

Horizontal five piece hand-painted floral paper necklace with brass findings

Springtime Fresh Floral Necklace

Curious about her artistic journey as a watercolor painter and jewelry maker, I asked Serena to tell us a bit about herself:

I am a self-taught jewelry artist...I have done endless tests and consumed kilograms of paper to achieve these results! I prefer to buy components on Etsy to have 100% handmade creations... for example, I use beautiful Murano glass beads as accents.

Hand-painted paper necklace with watercolor tarot card sun design and three glass beads on gold link chain

Tarot Card Sun Necklace

As for my background, I attended the artistic high school in Rome and then started working for Alitalia airline as a flight attendant. Over the years I became a flight dispatcher - the most beautiful job in the world! One day four years ago, I was reunited at work with an old friend who was in Rome on business... we knew one another from summer seaside holidays as children. Since then we've always been together and we've had a little girl, Andrea (the A in my shop's name, as she is the real boss of everything!).

Scandinavian folk style black and white necklace with hand-painted watercolor paper pendants and Murano glass pearls

Scandinavian Folk Style Necklace

I left my job and my city to live in Forli, and I'm really happy with my choice to be a full-time mom for the past year. When my little girl started kindergarten I had a great desire to go back to work, but at the same time I wanted to continue to enjoy my daughter's growth. What could be better than creating something of my own that I could manage in total autonomy and made me smile at the thought of going to work? The answer could only be to draw and turn my ideas into something concrete!

Tattoo style hand-painted orange and green floral paper pendant on necklace chain

Tattoo-Style Floral Necklace

If you are on Instagram, I am hosting a giveaway [ENDED] to celebrate the grand opening of AandCoPaperJewelry. One winner will receive a pair of earrings of choice from the shop. Click over to this Instagram photo to enter. The winner will be announced on Sunday, April 5, 2020. Good luck!