Vale Lorenzo Monti
by James Rendell, President, Fagmedia on X
I would like to acknowledge the passing of Lorenzo Monti. I acknowledge that I have been remiss in doing this but I am not apologising for the delay. But I better do it before the end of the year. A tribute video featuring Lorenzo will be here as soon as it is made!
Lorenzo was the official jeweller for the Abbey of the Black Swan OPI Perth. His work was exquisite in every way. He crafted beaded necklaces, earrings and other items that were unique works of art in themselves. He would take a collection of beads from Venice or antiques from Berlin, crafted beads from Peru and pearls from Broome or overseas and transform them into much loved pieces.
He was also a fabulous sales person. I was shaken down so many times. Lorenzo would source unique beads and make them up for me knowing that if I wore them home I would have to pay for them. He always encouraged me to try things on and take them home and pay for them later. He had a little notebook that he wrote down customer purchases and he didn’t forget even if I had.
I trusted Lorenzo not to rip me off and I know that his work has inspired a number of people to take up jewellery making. Including Shane Pavlinovich who was very keen on the pearls that were made for me and next thing you knew… copied not paste.
Some of Loreno's best works were silver pieces including rings that he designed himself and had made. His clients were many and varied and included many rich ladies including Rose Hancock herself in her Prix d’more peak. I donated a collection of Lorenzo Monti’s works to West Pride Archives where I hope they will be looked after.
I was very sad when Lorenzo developed a shake of his hands that made stringing and tying beads impossible. This was a great personal loss to him.
Personally, Lorenzo was a person that I knew Lorenzo from 1988. Lorenzo was the person I knew the longest in Perth so I have been praying for his soul and mourning his passing as the end of an era.
I met Lorenzo at the Gay Olympics in 1988 when I was in the influence of the grooming industry. Lorenzo rescued me from hideous people and my friend as well by sharing his picnic blanket and providing a safe space away from the predators who were trying to inflict themselves upon us.
Sadly Lorenzo became a victim of Perth’s premier bully, Peter Bastard that was a terrible thing to observe. I have never forgotten that kindness and compassion for a stranger in need and so as I moved away from the grooming scene (escaped from the clutches of the Satanic death cult?) and into life as a Muslim I did not forget.
Lorenzo was the only person in Perth who did not stab me in the back or treat me with disrespect. I will always have a place in my heart for Lorenzo and I am sure that he is missed by many people. It is indeed the end of an era for me and so I will be doing a special tribute video to provide a archive of his life and his legacy.
As I said I have been mourning the loss and I have delayed this announcement for that reason. I have lost a friend and a business associate and the OPI has lost a foundation member of the gathered faithful who will never be able to be replaced.
Thank you to Lorenzo for the wonderful conversations that we shared on the deck under the lilac tree. Lorenzo built a beautiful garden and his stag horn collection was very beautiful. It was a beautiful home and he was a person who was very awake and I learned a lot about the world from him.
RIP Lorenzo Monti.
