Guido Damiani and his siblings Sylvia and Giorgio have been surrounded by gold and diamonds since their childhood. The family lived in an apartment in the middle of Valenza, where Guido’s grandfather Enrico Damiani started his jewelry business in 1924.
“My grandfather used to design and craft the jewelry himself, so the company grew with his involvement. We are the only international brand that was founded as a design manufacturer; other international brands were born as retailers—they bought jewelry but did not produce it themselves,” Guido tells Villa 88.
Damiani is one of the only international brands to still be run by the founder’s direct descendants. In this case, it’s currently in the hands of Guido, the President and CEO, and his siblings, Sylvia and Giorgio, both Vice Presidents. “We always look at the business like it’s a family member,” Guido explains. “And we’re lucky because we stick together, stay together and work together.”
Right from the start, Damiani creations have stood out for their impeccable aesthetic. “One of the biggest differences you can see with Damiani is our strong design,” Guido asserts. Testament to the brand’s strength is the fact that it has won 18 consecutive Diamond International Awards, and Guido himself is the recipient of numerous prizes and honors, including the 2013 America Award conferred by the Italy-USA Foundation, and the Leonardo Qualità Italia prize in 2014.
Under Guido’s supervision, the Damiani brand has expanded around the world, currently standing at 61 boutiques located in Japan, Mexico, China, Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, the UAE and the USA. Guido considers the Middle East particularly important. “We believe the region holds great potential for us,” he explains. “We already have customers here, and I believe the UAE is one of the most important, trendy countries in the region. We plan to invest here—besides Dubai, we’re thinking about Abu Dhabi. We’re opening very soon in Saudi Arabia and are already in Kuwait.”
As a family-run enterprise, you may wonder what role each Damiani sibling plays. “I lead the company, create the strategy and ideas. Giorgio mostly focuses on design and purchasing precious stones and materials,” Guido says. “Sylvia handles the PR, media relationships and our high-end customers. Basically, each of us has a different profile, and this helps a lot. I have to thank them.” And will the baton pass on to the next generation? “We hope. We don’t know yet, because [our children] are all very young,” smiles Guido. “All of them look interested, but they’re too young to say anything. We’ll see.” Damiani.com
Images Courtesy Of Damiani
