SimplyAbuDhabi XXXIII

8 3 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Simply Abu Dhabi: So how can I become a high jewellery client? Silvia Grassi Damiani: Well, it’s very simple; anyone who wishes to have his own high jewellery piece can come to one of our stores around the world and ask to have his or her own piece. In fact, we make a lot of custom-made pieces and we love that. Simply AbuDhabi: And how does it work? Silvia Grassi Damiani: You ask for a specific design and together between you and our design team, we will make you a sketch of your desired piece and once approved, you will have your own piece. We can do whatever you want, because we have the possibility and the ability to do it, and we also like to suggest new ideas to our clients, making them happy with their choice. What’s also very interesting is that for the custom-made service we have a lot of men asking for cufflinks or objet d’arts for their offices such as a paper knife with a golden horse as a handle. But personally, I would love to concentrate more on objet d’arts. SimplyAbuDhabi: Have you ever thought as a groupof hiring a designer such as other brands do? Silvia Grassi Damiani: No, we don’t think that we need one. What we love, if we want to introduce a new ‘spirit’ to our collections is tomake collaborations and capsule collections with celebrities we admire as we did with Brad Pitt or Sophia Loren or Nicoletta Romanoff for a Russian inspired haute joallerie collection. What we loved through these collaborations is that the people we hired had an incredible respect for our roots and craftsmanship and, humbly, they never wanted to ‘destroy’ or change the brand’s allure and vision, thus respecting Damiani and its heritage. Simply AbuDhabi: WouldDamiani be the same as it is today without the strong relationship between you and your brothers? Silvia Grassi Damiani: For sure, it would be a different Damiani, but together we always improve ourselves, growing and exploring new ways of creativity without, of course, forgetting our values which are quality, Italian craftsmanship, tradition, innovation and evolution. We always evolve, slowly, and we don’t want to revolutionise the brand. What we want to do is to create elegant jewellery pieces which create a concept and a new way of thinking and of approaching life. In fact, objects get lost, but a concept can be eternal. Simply Abu Dhabi: So, what is elegance for you, is it something eternal? Silvia Grassi Damiani: For me, elegance is harmony of proportions and weights, especially in jewellery. What’s also important for my concept of elegance is that it has to be right for the times. It happens sometimes that we create something groundbreaking but then we decide that the time is not yet ready to present the piece, so we wait until we find the right time to present it. Elegance has to be understood in all its forms, and if it’s not understood, that means that it’s too early as the time and people will not appreciate you. S implyAbuDhabi:Many brands have become ‘ethical’ in sourcing stones and gold. What about Damiani? Silvia Grassi Damiani: We have always been ethical, and we know exactly where our materials and stones come from, because it’s important for our clients to give them a guarantee about where we source the materials that make his/her jewel. But I don’t like those brands that, to stay ethical, they abandon a place. In fact, it’s in this way that you create poverty because without work, people do not invest in education thus making their society remain poor and unevolved. Simply Abu Dhabi: Last but not least, which are the three pieces of jewellery that you think every woman should have? Silvia Grassi Damiani: For sure, diamond earrings, then a nice solitaire ring (better if gifted to you by someone very special) and third, a nice jewellery watch. Sahara bracelet Blue Moon earrings Bloody Mary necklace Bocca di Squalo necklace