by Isabel Wilkinson

A few years ago, the Italian-American jewelry designer Ippolita Rostagno realized something about Italy: that many of the country's traditional craftsmen were closing up shop. Established local artisans — keepers of centuries-old techniques — were losing out in the globalized digital marketplace.

They were being forced out of business for their inability to scale and market themselves — and their craft was going with them. So she dreamt up Artemest, an expansive e-commerce platform that launches in the States this week, which sells jewelry, design objects, fine art and homegoods made by working Italian artisans to customers around the world.

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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/