“Italian elegance, in its most timeless dimension, resonates across the world”

At a time when one luxury house after another is being subsumed into a group, Damiani has remained family owned since its creation in 1924. Is this an advantage, a limitation, or both? Definitely a strength and the reason I joined Damiani. I spent 25 years with groups and remarkable houses, what we now collectively label the “luxury industry”, but if you look at the definitions of “luxury” and “industry”, you’ll see they are entirely different, almost antagonistic. These groups have become vast, ultra-efficient corporations but can be far removed from luxury’s true values. Our customers tell us they want authenticity and a more personal relationship. This is where Damiani’s strength lies. We share an emotion. We’re a brand but most of all a family that customers can meet. /public-objects/364ce451-5438-4545-bd7b-06ff3e703daf-4a4d78cb-7d67-4785-af0b-f712507f7d4c-DA898_HOLIDAY_BALANCE_PR%20CORP_4x5_300dpi_04.webp Image sélectionnée Belle Époque, Mimosa, Margherita… how would you define Damiani’s style and inspirations? Our three icons stand for timeless elegance, each with a distinctive personality. Margherita pays tribute to Queen Margherita, beloved of Italians and famed for her love of jewelry. It’s a piece designed by the founder of Damiani himself. Mimosa showcases what we’ve called a “chaotic” setting, where the gem-setter mounts each stone differently, by hand. This results in greater sparkle and, as opposed to the repetitive pieces in fine jewelry, makes each one unique. Belle Époque springs from the founder’s fascination with the cinema reels he discovered when visiting the World's Fair. Giorgio Damiani recently returned to this motif with the Belle Époque Reel, whose rotating rings suggest the motion of a reel as it plays. It was an instant success, probably thanks to its more contemporary feel and accessible price. /public-objects/e6b6107e-639a-4616-85b9-54b261189c5e-fffcdff7-be4c-497f-b476-550f222b7e9c-compo_20115272-20115270-20115273.webp Image sélectionnée How does this Italian identity function across international markets? It actually works everywhere, in Japan, Korea, the Middle East and South America. Our three icons sell just as well in these markets as they do in Italy, the one exception being the Belle Époque collection’s cross design in the Middle East, for cultural reasons. Why? Maybe because of what I call the golden ratio: aesthetically balanced proportions; elegance and affordability; jewelry that is recognizable but never ostentatious. Italian elegance, in its most timeless dimension, resonates across the world. We feel this in the boutiques. Customers don’t come simply in search of an object; they come for an experience. We’ve had customers tell us they’ve been to the finest hotels, the finest restaurants, the finest couture houses, yet have never felt such emotion. Because we welcome them into a home, not a retail space. /public-objects/84888f67-89e3-4afb-ab69-cdeb5578dc8a-a005f6e9-2dbc-4305-8c59-30e256d82b46-DA898_HOLIDAY_BALANCE_PR%20CORP_4x5_300dpi_03.webp Image sélectionnée What has the new generation brought to the house that their predecessors could never have imagined? gs. First, their vision of retail. From no boutiques at all, we now have around a hundred points of sale worldwide. Last year we introduced a new concept in which every space embodies a family home, appointed with noble materials such as marble, leather and Rubelli fabrics. Every aspect was approved by the family. Then there is the fact the family is the embodiment of the brand. Whereas the directors at major luxury houses change every two or three years and are part of a storytelling that isn’t /public-objects/11c05cc4-6261-4e31-96e9-823bb7818e09-6271ace8-0643-413f-9338-90e4656fd0d0-HERO_Caravaggio_collana%202.webp Image sélectionnée You mentioned that the boutiques resemble an Italian interior. Is this a way of saying that customers don’t come to Damiani just to buy jewelry? When you walk through the door of a Damiani boutique, you’re effectively stepping into a home. This is literally the concept we’ve rolled out at our first forty renovated boutiques, with Calacatta marble, Limonta leather, Rubelli fabrics and Venini chandeliers: nothing but the finest Italian materials, the same as in the Damiani family home and chosen by the Damiani themselves. This isn’t a brand concept put together by an interior designer. It’s the family saying, this is how we live, this is our world. /public-objects/c665f08d-fec5-41f9-9141-64310734d1ae-7e4ce030-7c4e-43e4-bac5-0d6b0d588100-20114718.webp Image sélectionnée What are your most exciting projects this year? In June we invited 150 of our best customers to a villa overlooking Lake Como, for the presentation of a new high jewelry collection, Arte Maestra. Giorgio Damiani has reinterpreted the great painters, maestros such as Van Gogh, Monet, Klimt and Caravaggio, by creating a unique jewel for each one. It’s quite extraordinary and very different to anything else we’ve done before. After our 100th anniversary celebrations in 2024, then Ode all’Italia in 2025, Arte Maestra carries on this tradition of high jewelry that embodies a very personal and distinctive vision.