Tessitore company was borned in the 1898 and today is rapresented by a the fourth generation.

Skilled from 1935 into hand made production an making of tubo-gas jewelry.

Contact me for any questions !

Enrico Tessitore

Enjoy !

The first examples of bangles date back to Roman Age when a twisted twine made a link chain like that today is called TuboGas (GasTube because it is similar to gas tube), of course it was technically different.

Bangles had mostly end opened and they were very elastic so they could be taken on different height of the arm, this kind of production was called "Snake Chain" because it was similar to snake movements.

The tube is called TuboGas.
Since then this kind of production is recognized with TuboGas name in jeweller’s craft.

At the end of 800’s we can find the early traces of this modern product in Italy and in France, in fact the most famous is made by Bulgari maison that opened in Rome in the 1881.
In those years there were new workshops like Tessitore at Naples in the 1888 and Waingrill at Verona in the 1879 that produced this handmade article with this kind of link chain.

Manufacturing process

Manufacturing process is absolutely handmade.
It involves in cutting some long gold or silver or metal wires, then these wires pass through a draw-plate that make them like an U but with the right angles, after this two wires are combined (one U into a head down U sticking them), so united wires are wound round a wood or steel or wax mould until the required length, being careful that the ends don’t touch each other.
In this way TuboGas is ready for taking every shape that we need for a new jewel creation.

This tube shape can be round, square, right triangular anyway it can be all shapes closed by three sides of course the more sides is the less it will be flex, so the top of flexibility there will be in the round tube (that it uses for the gas).

Another important aspect is the thickness: the more it is little the less angles will be defined; this is the reason why in jeweller’s craft the shapes much used are round or square or triangular.

By last century this manufacturing process is still the same, today the only mechanical help is an engine that makes to wind round the mould where the wires twine.

Therefore machinery, mould, rolling- mill and above all manual skill are at the root of this excellent handmade and wonderful product.

Recent history

At the end of 800’s French and Italian artisans made objects using this manufacturing but it’s only in 1920 that a famous French maison made some articles using TuboGas in fact it produced the frist bangles and necklaces. Afterwards a well-known Swiss maison used the square shape chain as watch strap and so on but it is just in the 1970 years that TuboGas achieves fame by the most important Italian jewelry company - Bulgari maison.

Bulgari maison in fact designs and produces a new and modern complete collection that optimizes a manufacturing until now less used.
It is the first time that TuboGas becomes the leader in a whole jewelry collection: rings, earrings, bangles, necklaces and overall watches where it isn’t just a watch strap but leader "Bangle" (jewel watch).
Thanks to new, pleasant, exclusive but at the same time wearable jewels maison Bulgari lets to know this chain to all the world so that the public will call this chain "Bulgari chain".

By this time all Italian jewelry zones produce TuboGas articles: Arezzo and Vicenza use the industrial way but as we told before this is an handmade product, so Valenza, Napoli, Verona and then Firenze, Milano too use a craft way developing it into many items.
Valenza uses TuboGas with precious stones to make it a real jewel, while Napoli and Firenze use it in a more youth way more fashion.
Florence school alternates gold pieces of TuboGas with silver pieces, where the silver is covered by wonderful drawings enamels.

Napoli follows Valenza way and uses TuboGas with precious stones but inside the tube puts silver before and the steel that is more light and flexible.
So both Firenze and Napoli achieved one’s end like beauty, style and cheapness.

Today the enamels process waned therefore Firenze uses the same Napoli process and now both schools produce a similar article. Some people for protecting oneself have tried, acting in good faith, the patent way but as it is patentable something is commonly use all the time!

The problem is that doesn’t exist an historical file about TuboGas so young designer often think to create something new but others actually thought before them; this product is old as the world!

These notes are useful to press anyone has something to tell about TuboGas to do that. I think this is the first attempt about this subject and it is motivated by the reason I represent the fourth generation that create TuboGas jewels.

More than a century we produce TuboGas jewels, more than thirty years TuboGas is the foundation product of our company TESSITORE Jewels.

If you are interested to contact me enrienri10@libero.it
I’d like to investigate the subject for making a book.
Enrico Tessitore