But even before Kim Ji-won graced our screens decked out in the brand’s sparkling jewellery, Damiani has been at the forefront of the haute joaillerie industry with their innovative and iconic pieces, renowned goldsmithing and uniquely Italian sensibility.
Recently, the brand opened their first store in Malaysia, located at Seibu in The Exchange TRX. Alongside this, 2024 also marks the house’s centenary year, a proof of their longstanding excellence. We got the opportunity to interview Giorgio Damiani, creative director of the brand and third generation, who runs the daily operations alongside his siblings, Silvia Damiani and Guido Damiani.
First of all, congratulations on 100 years of Damiani! How do you feel about reaching this amazing milestone?
It’s an emotional and exciting year for us. Above all, it has been 100 years of passion, tradition, craftmanship and creativity. All these values have been translated into a special high jewellery collection made of one hundred unique jewels, and an exhibition that is now travelling the world.
This is an important moment to enjoy and cherish the accomplishments reached so far, but it is also the best moment to think about the next steps and plan the future of Damiani. We are taking time to celebrate, but we are already focusing on the future, because we want Damiani to grow more and more internationally and stay relevant for the next 100 years.
After 100 years, what about Damiani is its greatest strength in your opinion? Is this strength something that existed since the beginning, or is it something that was instilled over time and through the different generations of leadership?
I believe the main reason for our success is that we have always been coherent, and we have always respected our values, and DNA. We have never accepted compromises.
Family, craftmanship, creativity, traditions, Italian-ness, these are Damiani’s core values that have been passed down for three generations, from my grandfather who founded the company, to our father and then to Silvia, Guido, and me, who are teaching them to our children, the fourth generation.
The Damiani journey began with my grandfather Enrico, whose skills as a master goldsmith soon made him a point of reference among distinguished noble families.
My father Damiano succeeded him, and his creative and pioneering mind gave a strong innovative push. That’s how Damiani became a brand, conquering an increasingly international audience with innovative designs, and campaigns featuring international movie stars – he was one of the first in the industry to do campaigns like that.
After his tragic death, the company passed to us. Silvia takes care of the image and communication aspects; I oversee the creative direction, production and supply chain, while Guido, as president of the company, supervise all the strategic and business-related activities.
Even if we are projected to the future and expanding more, we have a deep respect of our origins and our values, and we always have them in mind as we make decisions, from the strategic to the smallest ones.
As the 3rd generation of Damiani to lead the brand, how important is “family” when it comes to creating, designing and running the brand? Does being a family-run heritage business strengthen the legacy?
The truth is that ever since we were kids, we looked up to our parents and we had always imagined following in their footsteps. Our house was right above the company’s offices, so my siblings and I used to go downstairs and play among the diamonds, gold, and gemstones. Maybe we weren’t born for this, but we certainly were raised for it. It’s in our DNA, and we grew up with values and traditions that we can’t forget.
Saying that, being a family business is a fundamental asset that differentiates us from other international jewellery brands. As my siblings and I always say, Damiani is not just the name of our brand: it is first of all our last name – from our father, our grandfather, and now our children. This carries a big responsibility, because it means that we have legacy and values to protect for future generations.
People are conscious of this, so the family-effect generates a trust relationship both with clients and suppliers. Guido, Silvia and I have direct relationships with most of our top clients. They know that behind the brand there isn’t simply a CEO or a creative director that can change over time, but a family that cares about their reputation. The same can be said for our suppliers: most of them are sons of the original suppliers that my father and grandfather dealt with, so there is a trust r that allow us special conditions and advantages. In this industry reputation is everything.
Damiani has always taken pride in being a brand born and bred in Valenza. Other than being your homeland, what about Valenza makes Damiani unique?
Craftmanship is still fundamental in jewellery and Valenza. This small little town is the best place in the world for the goldsmith art, so it’s easy to understand the importance of this territory for us.
Damiani, as brand and as family, was born there. Our journey started with my grandfather, but our ancestors were already there since 1600. We were raised surrounded by the beauty of this art; this is why I can say that the goldsmith art is in our DNA. Our bond to this town is so deep, and I’m proud to say that a square has been entitled to my father Damiano, while a nursery school is entitled to my mother Gabriella.
Being so deeply connected to this town, it gives us indisputable advantage on a craftmanship level, and with relationships, because the locals all know us and trust us. Our manufacture is still in Valenza, while I personally supervise production.
Furthermore, in the past years we have created the Damiani Academy to teach the art of jewel craftmanship to a young generation of people who are keen to learn. It’s important for us to protect this territory and the goldsmith art, especially now that all the major jewel conglomerates are moving their production facilities in Valenza, we want to keep our advantage.
The Damiani laboratory and production facility is still house in Valenza.
Goldsmithing is Valenza's greatest craft, lending that expertise to Damiani's magnificent creations.
Staying true to their design codes, values and DNA, Damiani's pieces are an emblem of Italian style.
Tell us more about the 100 creations for 100 years – how did you approach creating for this historical collection and how did the idea come about?
When we decided to celebrate this anniversary, we wondered what the best way was. Surely this big moment required a party, a gala, like the one we organized in Milan. But it was not enough, we needed something more meaningful. We are jewellers, so the best way was to create a unique collection of jewels. The title of the exhibition speaks for itself, Damiani 100×100 Italiani: 100 jewels, 100% Italian.
This collection encloses the real essence of Damiani. It’s hard to believe the number of steps involved in making a perfectly defined jewel. The exhibition features 100 jewels with special gems, and the most representative is a sapphire of over 100 carats with a blue of magnificent intensity. There is also a 64 carat Colombian emerald with a deep green hue. We also have other beautiful stones, and almost all the colours available in the world of diamonds.
We were lucky enough to have some of these stones in our family archive, however, researching the others was a long process that took more than one year of research for me and my team of experts. The rarity of these gemstones, combined with our craftsmanship experience and creativity, brought to life pieces which cannot be replicated, and I guess this is also another key element of the exhibition: its uniqueness.
Congratulations on opening your first boutique in Malaysia this past August! How would you introduce the brand to Malaysians who will be stepping into a Damiani boutique for the first time?
We are so proud about this new opening in collaboration with our prestigious local partner SUEN Holdings. The new boutique in Seibu department store is so elegant and features all our distinct codes. A refined space where local jewellery enthusiasts can admire and discover our iconic collections: the evocative Belle Époque, the trendy D.Icon, the modern Margherita, the feminine Mimosa, and the much-loved Bridal Collection, to which a special area is dedicated.
Malaysia for us is a high-potential country, we are sure that the local clientele will be captivated by our designs that are quintessential of Italian style. To us, Italian style means not only a certain attention to design, but also having the best craftmanship and the best quality in raw materials. The design of our jewels, the construction and the combination of stones and colours of gold, everything recalls a certain pleasure of living, a freedom, as well as a love for beauty and culture. These aspects make Damiani the emblem of Italian style, which is something that I’m sure Malaysian clientele will appreciate.
Mimosa Eternal Blue Necklace
Margherita Desert Garden Necklace
Fantasy Cut, The Damiani Green Treasure of Muzo
Belle Époque Bracelet
Where do you see the jewellery business moving in the next few years? What are some trends we can expect to see?
We are experiencing a new generation of clients that are more informed and have developed an international taste. A major trend that we are seeing is clients now look for renowned brands, just like in fashion. It was not like this in the past: people were buying jewels in little local stores, they did not care if it was unbranded. Nowadays, people do not buy just a product; they buy a system of values. When we create new collections, people recognize [our DNA] and they appreciate it.
Another trend we are noticing: more and more men buy jewels for themselves. This is why we have developed genderless ranges, like our newest fine jewellery collection: the Belle Époque Reel, which is a fresher, contemporary take on our iconic Belle Époque. We have introduced a rotating mechanism that really makes it more playful, and it’s being appreciated by everyone, especially a younger audience, no matter the gender.
As the maison moves into its 101st year, what can we look forward to from Damiani in the future?
We have so many exciting projects which I cannot disclose yet, we like to surprise our fans! In general, I can say that Damiani will keep on growing on a global scale, as a brand and as a group, and sticking always to its core values without any compromise.
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