High Jewelry Belle Epoque Rainbow necklace – Damiani
History
The Damiani Group is an Italian luxury goods company based
in Valenza, Italy, that designs, produces and distributes
jewelry, watches and other luxury articles. The Group
owns six leading Italian brands, namely Damiani, Salvini,
Bliss, Rocca, Calderoni and Venini.
Years of history
100
38
24
103
184
230
Enrico Grassi Damiani, founder of the Damiani Maison
Origins
The Group was established in 1924 in Valenza, in the heart of Italy’s – and indeed the world’s – most important jewelry district, and has stood out ever since for its design and production of handmade jewelry.
Through his skills in the goldsmith’s art, founder Enrico Grassi Damiani became a jeweler to the noble families of the time, creating custom masterpieces of refined craftsmanship.
Sixties
In the sixties, Enrico’s son, Damiano Grassi Damiani, promoted an innovative process based on craftsmanship and commercial expansion. Damiano was a passionate believer of research in design and technical innovation, which profoundly affected the company’s evolution. Damiani jewels became increasingly popular, due to a truly revolutionary idea for that time, which involved offering set prices and creating catalogues featuring all the collections.
Shark bracelet, winner of the Diamond International Awards in 1976 - Damiani
Seventies
In 1976, Damiani won its first Diamonds International Award – the most renowned award in the jewel-making industry for the best diamond jewelry design. The Shark bracelet in yellow gold and platinum featured a white diamond pavé and jonquilles, for a total of 41 carats.
Over the years, Damiani won the award a further seventeen times, for a total of 18 Diamonds International Awards, adding to the four won by Calderoni, the jewelry brand acquired in 2006.
Bracciale Shark vincitore del Diamond International Awards nel 1976 - Damiani
Eighties
Damiani was among the first jewelry companies in the world to introduce the use of testimonials with famous stars photographed by internationally renowned photographers for its advertising campaigns. The Salvini brand was also established in the same period.
Sharon Stone per Salvini
Nineties
In 1996, Damiano Grassi Damiani died prematurely in a car accident, and the running of the company, which at that time already employed 200 employees, was left to his wife Gabriella and their three children.
Guido Grassi Damiani was appointed Chairman, a role he covers to this day, Silvia became Vice President in charge of corporate communication, and Giorgio, who still serves as CEO and Vice President alongside his sister, mainly focused on the creation and development of the collections and on the procurement of precious stones.
In the 1990s, Damiani opened its first boutiques in Italy, in Milan, Rome and Florence.
Towards the end of the decade, the Damiani Group also opened its first international branches, in order to manage distribution in its most important foreign markets.
The 21st Century
In the year 2000, the Bliss brand was launched. Then, in 2006, the Group acquired Calderoni, Milan’s historical luxury jewelry brand.
In November 2007, the Group listed on the Milan stock exchange, becoming one of the very few high-end jewelry groups in the world to achieve such a milestone.
In September 2008, the Group acquired full control of Rocca, Italy’s leading upmarket jewelry and watch brand, and the Group’s first distribution brand.
Boutique Bliss
Storico negozio Rocca 1794 di Torino
Storica boutique Calderoni di Milano
Monofiori Carnevale, Fazzoletto, Opalino Design: Venini, Fulvio Bianconi, Paolo Venini
Today
The Group continues to pursue its international expansion, increasingly opening more branches in geographical areas with a high-potential in the jewelry industry.
In 2016-2017, the Group opened a number of new Damiani boutiques abroad in Paris, Shanghai, Singapore, Seoul and Dubai. In Italy, the Group also inaugurated the Damiani flagship store in Venice.
In 2016, the Damiani Group also embarked on a project of diversification, acquiring full control of Venini, the world’s most famous glassmaker with a 95-year history in all-Italian art glass.
Celebrating thirty years of Salvini, the brand opened a new flagship store in Milan’s Via Montenapoleone, the symbol and centre of Italian luxury.
On 31 March 2018, the Group’s network of directly managed boutiques reached a total of 63 points of sale in leading cities worldwide, such as Milan, Rome, Paris, Beijing, Dubai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Moscow, Singapore and Mexico City, in addition to a further 16 franchises.
Boutique Damiani in Place Vendome
Boutique Damiani in Place Vendome