Testimonial
"I cannot say enough wonderful words about Kathryn Hedges. She is talented, capable, kind, determined, and a great artist and business woman.
Kathryn produces products that I sell at Gioia Italian Art and Products and we have worked together for many years and on several big project orders and she always follows through. Her products are beautiful. I enjoy having her join us during Gioia open house events."
--Kathy W., Owner
Gioia Company
Gioia Company is a local vendor of Italian artisan gifts, both imported from Italy and custom-made by local artists. The support of this alliance has been invaluable, from orders of lanterns and jewelry for resale, to commissioning thank-you gifts for events, and brokering commissions from businesses and groups in the local Italian-American community.
Tony's Customer Gifts
A North Beach San Francisco restauranteur commissioned over 200 assembled and gift-wrapped cube lanterns for holiday customer thank-you gifts in 2015. He saw other Splendid Colors designs at the Gioia Company booth at the Italian festival and they arranged the commission.
The lanterns included a custom inscription on the base, a new "Little Italy North Beach" graphic, and four North Beach landmarks.* Custom gift-wrapping in cellophane bags tied with red, white, and green ribbon looked fabulous but needed to be hand-delivered.
In 2016, he reordered the lanterns in the custom wrapping for a new Italian grocery because they had been so popular. Several batches of 24-48 sold out quickly.
*Because the new designs were non-exclusive and appropriate for the San Francisco landmarks collection, there was no custom design fee.
Wholesale Gifts and Jewelry
Gioia Company commissions new items for sale seasonally: heart-shaped "Amore" lanterns, the 7" patio lanterns, cube lanterns with landmarks and emblems from Italy, cutout tree ornaments, and jewelry featuring the Florence lily emblem. The Florence lily design laser-cut and etched in gold or silver mirror acrylic with a linked crystal bead or pearl accent is quite elegant.
The Italian landmarks include: The Colosseum in Rome, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Rialto Bridge in Venice.
The Italian emblems include: Florence Lily, Sicilian Trinacria, Capitolline Wolf of Rome, Italia, Gioia, the Raffaelesco Wind Spirit, and a map of Italy. There's also a custom border for the patio lanterns based on a decorative motif first used in Pompeii.
This collection of designs can be reused in new combinations or customized with a logo.
Little Italy San Jose Fundraising Items
Gioia Company worked with the directors of Little Italy San Jose to commission a fundraising lantern with their logo, the first two landmark-type designs, and two symbols from Italy (Florence Lily and Sicilian Trinacria). They have reordered this popular lantern (assembled, not a kit) regularly between 2013 and the start of the pandemic.
They also commissioned thank-you gifts with their logo for volunteers and officers: a tie tack in a geometric shape and a convertible brooch/pendant in a rose shape with a linked pearl accent. Unlike the lanterns, these are laser-cut from pearlescent acrylic. The designs are laser-etched and paint-filled by hand with red and green "stained glass" acrylic medium for an enameled effect. These popular gifts have been reordered for several fundraisers.
When the Little Italy Museum is complete, the organizers plan to sell these items in their gift shop.
Sicilian Sisterhood Membership Gifts
This local Italian-American charitable organization ordered 80 patio lanterns for their reunion after the pandemic in 2021. One side featured an adaptation of their logo, while the other three were stock designs including the emblem of Sicily.
Gioia Company
If you are looking for traditional Italian handcrafted gifts for weddings, housewarming gifts, holiday gifts, or other occasions (or just to complement your own decor), Gioia Company can provide individual assistance finding exactly the right pieces. The owner travels to Italy and meets artisans in their studios to purchase the finest authentically-made items. These are not mass-market items sold through distributors.
Gioia Company ships nationwide but if you are in the SF Bay Area, you can also shop selected items at in-person events at wineries, Italian Family Festas, and other cultural events. Or view the full collection in the home showroom by appointment. (Before the pandemic, shoppers could enjoy an Italian luncheon at monthly open house events.)
The monthly Gioia newsletter always features Italian history and culture as well as any vending events.
Italian Club Reunion Gifts
The owner of Gioia Company ordered 75 cube lanterns in 2018 for the reunion of her high school Italian Club. She commissioned new artwork representing Rome: a version of the Capitoline Wolf from the founding legend of the city. In the legend, a mother wolf raised the abandoned twins Romulus and Remus, sons of the god Mars and a vestal virgin. They grew up to found the city of Rome. The original, stylized, Capitoline Wolf statue honors the wolf who fostered the city's founders.
This version of the motif was based on a later sculpture in a more naturalistic style.
Project Portfolio
These project summaries supplement the Past Performance listing to provide a greater understanding; reference contact information is available by request. You can also chat with the owner over virtual coffee for stories of this excellent business relationship.