“It was love at first sight”
When creativity and passion for design meet innovation and genuine Italian craftsmanship, true art is created. Cereria PERNICI, with surface embellishments from LEONHARD KURZ, creates not just candles but true masterpieces. The candle as art - almost too beautiful to light.
The close, trust-based cooperation between LEONHARD KURZ , Luxoro - Leonhard Kurz , and CERERIA PERNICI SRL has a long-standing tradition. For more than 40 years, the companies have been united by a passion for creativity and the conviction that premium quality is the basic prerequisite for lasting success. “The most important and essential feature of the transfer products manufactured by KURZ is their high quality. This allows us to avoid correcting minor imperfections in processing that would not meet our quality standards,” explains Evelina Pernici, CEO of Cereria PERNICI.? The 73-year-old was also the one who laid the foundation for the cooperation with KURZ and LUXORO. “When I first came across KURZ via LUXORO, it was love at first sight. When I browsed through the metallic and matte color palettes and saw the different shades, I immediately wondered how I could apply them to our candles. I love these decorated candles, they have evolved and grown with me over time.”
Tradition, innovation, quality, and respect
Tradition, innovation, quality, and respect for the environment are the solid values on which PERNICI has been building since 1892 and which are also essential for LEONHARD KURZ. The Italian candle factory, originally founded by Giovanni Pernici, is now run by the family in its fifth generation. Evelina Pernici joined the company in 1980, followed by her children Antonio and Elena Pernici in 2000 and 2005. In 2022, the company, headquartered in Bergamo, Italy, celebrated 130 years of its ‘Made in Italy’ tradition. There is now even a company headquarters with a showroom in Shanghai.
Passion for design and Italian craftsmanship
To this day, every candle at Cereria PERNICI is handmade in a long work process, supported by innovative technologies. The candle collections are characterized by great sophistication in design and decoration. From the initial idea to implementation and packaging, every candle is unique. In addition to innovative techniques such as screen printing, embossing, and embellishment, classic working methods are also used in production. Metallized wax plates are used to create airy, graphic, and creative molds, which are then wrapped in individual leaves to create the ‘PERNICI avvolto’ (wrapped candle). Originally, the wax plates with the KURZ transfer decorations were produced entirely by hand. Since 2004, this part has been taken over by a machine developed by the Polytechnic University of Milan, which automatically produces wax plates of 1?mm thickness. The metallized wax plate is created by uniformly transferring the wafer-thin transfer layer to the thin wax layer. Using screen printing and layering of various colors, intricate patterns are created on the glossy wax sheets.
Careful attention to detail
In 2024, the current NIGHT FLIGHT series once again produced absolute design highlights. The candles were exquisitely finished with KURZ products such as LUXOR? 302 or LUXOR? MTS 232 Gold. Each year, Cereria PERNICI develops four to five new designs - some for Christmas and others for year-round use. The latest KURZ metallic colors and effects are also incorporated into the design process. “We choose a theme and do research. Some creations are exclusively my own, while others are created in cooperation with an external design studio,” says Evelina Pernici. “The search for a theme, the development of the design, the combination of the colors - it all starts at the computer. If we like what we see, we prepare the print frames and colors. We start with color testing on the various metallic effects. Then, several prototypes are reviewed to assess the processing and quality, and finally, the chosen design is realized using a die. Subsequently, it is either hand-dyed in our workshop or wrapped with laser-cut wax sheets, all meticulously crafted by our skilled artisans with passionate attention to detail. And of course, we are always excited about new colors and effects from LEONHARD KURZ, which allow us to give our candles exquisite finishes.”
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Candles that tell stories
It is thanks to Evelina Pernici's innovative spirit and creative intuition that KURZ embellishments are featured on PERNICI candles. “Each collection is born from my creativity, inspirations from around the world, ideas I bring back from my travels, and everything else that appeals to me artistically. But I also find my inspiration in nature - and in LEONHARD KURZ products. With NIGHT FLIGHT, we want to evoke emotions and create a candle that is also a design object. The candles we normally find on the market are colored or scented, but they don't tell stories. Elaborately finished with innovative, luxurious KURZ products, our NIGHT FLIGHT candles tell stories. With our creations, we honor our roots and complement our tradition with a modern interpretation. The high-quality, stunning KURZ refinements give the candles a unique, distinctive touch and add significant value. Like the PARIGI CANDLE from our current collection, where houses, cats, and people bring the rooftops of Paris to life, or the ROMA GOLD CANDLE, which depicts the Colosseum and boys on scooters embodying the Italian Dolce Vita. In this series, we also describe London, New York, Milan, and the island of Capri. But we also tell a Christmas story: Illuminated houses adorned with KURZ LUXOR? MTS 232 Gold, garlands on the windows, a red car with gift packages, a girl with a sled, presents, and a puppy, along with a Christmas tree. And of course, there is the one iconic, timelessly elegant candle, entirely in gold, featuring the embossed inscription ‘Merry Christmas.’ Created 25 years ago during a trip to New York, it’s still beautiful and important today.” The CEO personally selects the colors and embellishments to suit each theme and its specific intention. “I want to make every candle special. Every detail is meticulously considered and planned because, to me, each candle is a work of art.”
Profound gratitude and trust
Signora Pernici wants to send a clear message with her work. “With the candles and the embellishments, we convey an atmosphere and aim to impart an artistic sense of beauty. They should be an enrichment for customers - not just a candle but also an elegant, design-oriented decorative element,” says the 73-year-old. Evelina Pernici is optimistic about the future. “Our goal is to continuously develop our products through collaboration with LEONHARD KURZ and LUXORO, allowing us to respond flexibly to new market demands. We are very grateful for the inspiring cooperation with KURZ and LUXORO. Our long-standing partnership has always been smooth. What’s more, our strong relationship and active collaboration have strengthened our bond, enabling us to work together harmoniously. We know each other very well and understand each other's desires and visions. I am grateful that KURZ creates so many breathtakingly beautiful embellishments that allow us to create candles as works of art. The products and wide range of colors offered by KURZ are a constant source of inspiration for us and enable us to perfectly bring our creative designs and visions to life.”
Read more about Cereria PERNICI, our case study, and the brand-new NIGHT FLIGHT collection here: