A family affair
For Guido Grassi Damiani, the primary motivation of jewellery creation is to elicit happiness and inspire dreams. “When we create, we are thinking about the lady’s reaction – girlfriend, wife and mother – to our pieces,” says the president and CEO of the Damiani Group. Guido came aboard the family business in 1994 following a successful career in real estate. He began with the company’s marketing department and Italian sales network before being thrust into the leadership position two years later.
But his memories of the jewellery business goes back to a 1971 photograph of himself, as a child of three looking at diamonds through a loupe at the family office. Founded in 1924 by Enrico Grassi, Damiani has remained firmly in the hands of the founding family to the present day. “As a young kid, I was privileged to be playing with diamonds and gold; watching gold being weighed, travelling to India at the age of nine to watch my father transact precious stones and even buying pearls in Japan,” Guido says.
Guido points to the legacy which he is now entrusted with; an international jeweller which claims nobility, statesmen and an endless ledger of Hollywood stars among its clients. From Isabella Rossellini to Sophia Loren, Damiani’s clients have all been charmed by the masterful execution of Italian style and design, originating from the brand’s workshops in Valenza.
“Our Valenza heritage is important, because it shows we were born as jewellery designers and makers in one of the world’s most significant jewellery-making heartlands,” Guido says. “Here, craftsmen have spent centuries perfecting their skills and passing it onto the next generation. This appreciation for jewellery lives in them the moment they are born, and exists in the very air that we breathe. Even our people in accounting understand jewellery and frequently show their taste for beautiful pieces.” This advantageous provenance has benefited Damiani across time. “One of our craftsmen who just retired had served all three generations of my family, having been with us for nearly 60 years.”
That same savoir faire and passion that runs through Damiani is also evident in this year’s masterpieces, ranging from the fan-inspired Vanita collection featuring drop-cut rubies to the Emozioni collection. The latter is a virtuoso display of gem-setting where Damiani’s goldsmiths combine two setting techniques; necessary in alternating pure marquise-cut diamonds with a stream of brilliants flanking the central diamond.
“My biggest desire is to keep this brand forever within the family,” Guido says in no uncertain terms. “We believe it is important to remain a family business because this strategy enables us to think about the legacy of our brand instead of being driven by a vision of profit alone,” he says. This is why the brand has adopted the use of conflict-free diamonds in compliance to the Kimberley Process and is unrivalled among international jewellery brands in its 18 Diamond International awards, the Oscars of world jewellery. “Even as we continue to expand, we understand that our passion and know-how is inscribed with the Damiani name. Every piece is written with the name of my father and grandfather and hopefully, of my children and their children as well.”
