SimplyAbuDhabi XXXIII

8 2 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I P aris, France. In Place Vendôme, the place to be for jewellers around the world, the name Damiani impresses for two reasons. The first one is the location of their boutique which is on the left corner of the square (if you see Place Vendôme coming from rue Faubourg Saint Honore) next to the entrance of the Hotel D’Evrieux and which allows the brand to have major exposure at first sight on entering the square. The second one is that Damiani is the only Italian jewellery brand which has a boutique in this sought-after square. Of course, there is Repossi, but the brand is no longer associated with Italy and its Italian roots and has become the leading French maison for contemporary jewellery, thanks also to their partnership with LVMH in November 2015. Damiani is, however, 100% Italian. The Damiani jewellery house was founded in 1924 in Valenza Po (Italy) by Enrico Damiani and since then, the company has grown in prestige and power also thanks to Damiano Damiani, son of Enrico, who led the company to international growth and expansion. After he tragically passed away in an accident, his sons Guido (president and CEO), Giorgio (CEO, head of creative department and stones acquisition), daughter Silvia (Head of Image and Communication as well as vice president), as well as Damiano’s wife Gabriella (honorary president) took over the brand, making it a world-renowned holding which, since 2007, has been present on Milan’s stock exchange. Nowadays, the Damiani group has acquired other jewellery brands such as Salvini, Bliss and Calderoni, and in 2008 bought the jewellery & watches retailer group Rocca 1794 which counts more than 15 shops around the world. In 2016, they bought the historical and prestigious Italian glassware company Venini, which since its founding in 1921 in Murano (Venice), has created impeccable, contemporary and colourful glass objects. But, speaking of jewellery, Damiani has been known for its groundbreaking creations, winning 18 Diamonds International Awards (jewellery Oscars) for some of their creations, such as the Sahara bracelet worn by Tilda Swinton at the 2008 Academy Awards, the Blue Moon earrings in diamonds and gold created by Silvia Damiani herself in 1992 and the Damiani Spaziale necklace or the Bocca di Squalo bracelet which resembles a shark’s mouth and has an appealing yet futuristic design. Starting from these pieces, Silvia Grassi Damiani introduces me to Damiani’s latest creations. This time in Paris they did not present new pieces, except for a new greenish and purplish version of the Notte di San Lorenzo jewellery collection, but instead, as high jewellery pieces, they showed all the 18 pieces that have won the Diamonds International Awards. But as Silvia said to me, “these pieces make us proud of what we have achieved through our hard work. So, we decided to show them to our clients and journalists around the world. And especially for our clients who can ask us to recreate for them, as a one-of-a-kind piece, allowing them to wear a masterpiece that combines innovative design with high jewellery and craftsmanship.” DAMIANI: s t a r s t u d d e d h i g h j e w e l l e r y b y I v a n A l l e g r a n t i Silvia Damiani Eden bracelet Spaziale necklace