Rossella Tornquist was born in Italy in 1954. After having graduated at the Art Institute of Salò, she continued her studies at the Istituto Europeo di Design, Jewellery Department in Milan. She has taken part in several solo and group exhibitions on an international level, both in private galleries and museums such as the MIAAO (museum of decorative arts), Turin Museo Nazionale d'Arte Orientale, Rome, Museo Giovio, Como, and MOC, museum for contemporary jewellery, Castello di Sartirana foundation, Italy. She was represented in Collect 2006 at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. Early in her career, she worked with fashion designers, such as Basile, designing and creating jewellery for their collections. In 2004 she co-founded AGC, the Italian association for contemporary jewellery. She is an executive committee member of the association and is involved in the organization of several jewellery-related events. Tornquist's work is particularly inspired by natural elements: surfaces like bark, wood, or structural elements from the animal kingdom, such as animal bones. At an earlier stage, these types of materials were incorporated in her jewellery, whereas her more recent work has seen major use of precious metals "per se". The forms still refer to natural elements, but in a more abstract form. It can also be said that the relationship between the object itself and the body has acquired more importance in time. Her interlacing of the metals gives an overall effect of delicacy and femininity to her work. In addition, her latest pieces have seen the introduction of more colour due to different types of oxidizations and patinas on metal such as copper, or the incorporation of materials such as coral, pearls or synthetic elements.

Untitled necklace 2006, gold, oxidised silver, nylon thread
Untitled brooch 2006, silver, gold, coral