When Rosario Autore set out from Broome, Australia, in 1991 with a briefcase of South Sea pearls in his hand, he could hardly have imagined the success that awaited him. His vision was to take the luminous gems to the world and, starting with the harvest of just one West Australian pearl producer, he did just that. Working out of a small Sydney apartment, and motivated by the drive to see Australia’s best pearl producers united with the world’s most exclusive buyers, he founded Rosario Autore Pty Ltd, the company that is today The AUTORE Group.

AUTORE Oceania South Sea pearl, blue, yellow, orange and purple sapphire, and white, brown and black diamond brooch.

Over seventeen years The AUTORE Group has grown to be one of the largest South Sea pearl companies in the world, distributing over 600,000 pearls annually. The fully vertically integrated company sources its pearls from seven major South Sea pearl producers, including two of its own farms, giving The Group the ability to take pearls from the farm to the red carpet – literally. Now a global force in the luxury jewellery industry, The Group has offices in ten countries around the world and its jewellery is stocked in over 150 high-end retailers in all corners of the globe.

The fashion-forward brand began producing its own jewellery collections just five years ago, when Rosario Autore saw a gap in the market for innovative luxury pearl jewellery designs. “Our goal for the past five years has been to always push the boundaries in terms of design. By doing this we hope to benefit not just ourselves, but to stimulate other designers to lift the bar of design and benefit the industry as a whole by encouraging creativity in pearl jewellery,” he said. AUTORE’s collections quickly gained the interest and support of stylists, fashionistas and A-list stars the world over and AUTORE jewellery is now firmly entrenchd as a red-carpet favourite, having been worn by style icons including Angeline Jolie, Cate Blanchett, Scarlett Johansson, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kate Bosworth.

AUTORE Oceania South Sea Keshi pearl, blue sapphire, paraiba tourmaline, tsavorite garnet, and white and brown diamond brooch

Making the leap from the red carpet to the silver screen, AUTORE pearls have made a name for themselves as the first choice for pearls in film, playing starring roles in movies such as The Black Dahlia on Hillary Swank and Memoirs of a Geisha on Ziyi Zhang. Julia Roberts wears AUTORE pearls in her upcoming film Fireflies in the Garden, as does Mena Suvari in The Garden of Eden. Both films are due for release this year.

AUTORE Oceania Tahitian South Sea pearl, white gold with black rhodium, black diamond and ruby pendant.

AUTORE recently unveiled stand-out new additions to its South Sea pearl jewellery collections at Baselworld 2008. The Oceania collection in particular had viewers entranced. The vibrant collection of bespoke pieces takes its inspiration from the undersea world of the Pacific – the environment where AUTORE pearls are nurtured – and features intricately detailed sea creatures which have been crafted using innovative techniques to enhance movement and colour, truly bringing the creatures to life. The unique collection proved hugely popular, all but selling out within the first days of the fair. Visitors to the AUTORE Salon at Couture Las Vegas will be the first to see stunning new additions to this collection which has been extended due to unprecedented demand.