The VENUS GRP takes a mundane object - the paper clip - and rebuilds it in sterling silver as a functional fastener on vegetable-tanned horse leather. The clips run along the front flap and reappear inside, each one shaped and applied by hand in Basta's Empoli workshop. They are not decorative. They grip the leather, pinching it into subtle ridges where metal meets hide. The surface beneath is warm sandy beige-brown with the powdery matte nap of leather that has been through Basta's handmade aging process - dry to the touch, with natural veins and colour marks unique to each piece.
The tri-fold format opens to reveal the raw flesh side of the horse leather on the interior panels - unfinished, exposed, deliberately honest about what this material is. Hand-stitching is visible at the seams. There is nothing hidden in this wallet. The silver will darken with handling. The leather will deepen where your fingers grip it daily. Both materials will record the same story from opposite directions.