Browsing through the various economic theories, it is the prevailing opinion that it is precise during periods of crisis that the foundations are laid for future success, i.e. for when the market picks up again and starts moving at such an insane speed that those companies that hesitated during the planning stage cannot wait. Well, an illustrious example of effective entrepreneurial action in this sense is shown to us by Damiani S.P.A. a manufacturer of luxury jewellery, an icon of Made in Italy.
First, however, let’s take a step back. In fact, the company has a long history that dates back to 1924, when it was founded in Valenza Po (AL) by Enrico Grassi Damiani, a skilled goldsmith who was able to grasp the artistic demands of the time, especially from the lively French environment. As is customary in twentieth-century Italian entrepreneurship, starting in 1934, his son Damiano took over the management of the company, combining his father’s expertise and savoir-faire with a boundless passion for jewellery, interpreted as a work of art, which evolved into increasingly sophisticated masterpieces, multiplying the successes of the Valenza-based company.
The models are becoming increasingly sophisticated, as are the increasingly famous clients who elegantly wear the works of art from the Damiani house. Charleston, Cascade, Legend, Tassel, Optical, Bloom, Tribute, Moonshine, D.Side, Damianissima, Belle Époque Rainbow are some of the names of the most famous jewels that have marked the stages of this brilliant evolutionary path, also thrilling many illustrious personalities such as Isabella Rossellini, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Nastassja Kinski, Milla Jovovich, Chiara Mastroianni, Sofia Loren, Sharon Stone who, more and more often, we see elegantly wearing the wonders of Damiani. In addition to the refined clientele, high jewellery has also rewarded the creativity of the company on several occasions, which has also won the Diamonds International Awards eighteen times, the only one in the world to have reached this record.
However, its success is not limited to the quality of its jewellery, embellished with increasingly refined materials. Damiani spreads its brand both through prestigious shops located in the most exclusive places in the world and through company points of sale: real luxury boutiques that are not, however, the only place to admire its production. Given their high artistic value, the excellence of Damiani jewels can also be admired in important national and international museums that set up a travelling exhibition with masterpieces of the goldsmith’s art and unique pieces from the Valenza Po family.
What is the secret of such success? “It is not the jewel, not the gold, not the diamond, but something lighter, changeable, fleeting. It is the idea, the most precious thing”: this aphorism, found on the captions of the Damiani website, enlightens us about the results of a company that, tenaciously overcoming insurmountable difficulties, exports the brand Italy whenever and wherever. The tragedies of the Second World War, the sine waves of the stock and real markets and, lastly, the Covid that in 2020 deprived the company of the precious guidance of Damiano’s widow, Mrs Gabriella Colombo Damiani, have not managed to undermine a winning strategy that has led the company to open without intermediaries to the Russian and Chinese markets in 2021.
But markets are not buildings with doors that are easy to open… So here comes the deus ex machina, the idea that can push up the customer demand curve in no time at all: “Cover watch”. The design of the article is based on a Copernican revolution in the conception of the object: in a metaphor, the frame becomes more important than the painting! Translated into watchmaking, the wristwatch bezel becomes the protagonist of the object: for prestige, value and preciousness. Positioned on pre-defined watch models, the bezel is produced in titanium, white gold and pink gold and inlaid with diamonds from the famous Valencian company.
The final result is effervescent, brilliant and sparkling, bringing to mind the famous saying “I can’t wait”, referring both to the hidden desire to own the precious accessory and to the fact that, in front of such a jewel, knowing the time becomes almost superfluous!
Edit by Roberto Castellucci