The engraver carefully holds the glass object against a copper wheel with an abrasive paste applied. Changing the wheels, speed, order of cuts and other variables he can create every required shape and pattern. A simple letter takes about an hour to engrave.

The artist draws on wax paper, which is then perforated so the design can be traced onto the fabric using a sponge soaked in blue ink. The fabric is then sent to the home of the artisan, who will spend many hours embroidering the fabric by hand, before returning it to the factory to be trimmed, washed, ironed and checked.

The artisan first covers the metal base with a layer of dark colour translucid enamel, before applying decoration in white enamel using a very thin brush and needle. By varying the thickness the enameller can create stark white or subtle shades of grey. The final design is fired, changing the colours and revealing a three-dimensional effect.

The only surviving silk mill in Florence, which has been operating continually since 1786, uses hand-operated antique wooden looms to make made-to-measure silk fabrics in Florentine tradition, including ermisino, a Renaissance shot taffeta hand woven in three classic weights of thread of different colours.

To set gemstones in a way in which no fixings are visible – the so-called ‘Mystery Set™’– the master artisan creates tiny gold rails 0.2mm thick and cuts grooves into the gemstones by which they can be inserted on to the rails.

After blowing and shaping the melted glass, the masters apply traditional engraving techniques. The precious Battitura technique involves the use of different sized grinding wheels to create various patterns on the glass surface, giving the object a tactile dimension. Another famous technique, Incisione, requires the use of a special grinding wheel to create fascinating linear sequences.

Each leather bag is created by a skilled craftsman who is responsible for every aspect of the construction from start to finish. The pieces of leather are sewn together by machine and by hand, and each completed bag bears the individual signature of the craftsman who created it.

These painters work without templates, so it can take up to 15 years to become a master. Every shade of colour required for their own designs is mixed by the painter himself from paint powder produced at the company’s own laboratory. Many of the necessary skills and knowledge are passed down by word of mouth to the next generation.

Velatura is a manual and artistic shoe colouring technique. Colour is applied in subsequent layers, one on top of the other, until the desired hue arises. The result is rich and dense, and non-repeatable as a fingerprint, because it is made by hand.

Only a handful of watchmakers have mastered the techniques required to make the smallest mechanical watch movement ever made, the caliber 101, which is tailor-made and adjusted by hand with expert precision.