amiani’s story is that of an Italian family, one that preserves a precious know-how which is intrinsically linked to tradition: to create unique, handcrafted jewels that are true works of art, entirely handmade by the master goldsmiths of Valenza. It is precisely here that the Maison was born a century ago, in Italy’s most renowned goldsmith district, a place that continues to symbolize Made in Italy excellence around the world. The helm of the Company since then has passed down through three generations.
This evocative journey began with founder Enrico Damiani, whose skills as a master goldsmith soon made him a point of reference in the world of traditional jewelry and among distinguished noble families, who relied on him for the creation of their most exclusive jewels.
Enrico was succeeded by his son Damiano, whose creative and pioneering mind sensed the need for renewal, thus paving the way for profound changes that were characterized by a strong innovative drive. This influenced the design of the jewels, opening up to new trends and making them ever more refined to conquer an increasingly international audience.
The helm was subsequently passed on to Damiano’s three children – Guido, Silvia and Giorgio – who chose to continue pursuing the Maison’s evolutionary path. Immersed from a very young age in an enchanted, precious world that taught them to appreciate Italy’s refined sense of style and beauty, the three siblings continue to interpret Damiani’s history of excellence with an inherently innovative spirit.
Today, Damiani stands out in the jewelry world for its unique position as the only international name that is still present in Valenza in the territory of its origin, for which it has a profound respect; a company born as a designer and producer of precious creations, that has become one of the biggest names in international luxury with its alluring designs and refined craftsmanship.
In 2024, Damiani pays tribute to its hundred-year history, a story of family, craftsmanship, creativity and passion: truly unique all-Italian values that the Damiani family has always safeguarded and preserved.
A hundred creations for a hundred years
On this extraordinary anniversary, the Maison shares its century-long experience and savoir-faire with the world. A tribute to Italian excellence that Damiani embodies through its masterpieces of the goldsmith’s art, defined by a unique and distinctive style. A journey through time, honouring the ability that shaped them, the skilled hands that transformed them into unique works of art, and the passion behind their creation. Each jewel thus becomes a living testament to a century of dedication and craftsmanship.
For this centenary, the Damiani family has made a decision that is as exciting as it is significant: the Maison has chosen to exhibit a precious collection of rare stones – natural works of art with an extraordinary history that majestically come to life through a skilful act of creation by the master goldsmiths of Valenza, custodians of the goldsmith’s art since 1924. The result is a collection of one hundred authentic jewelry masterpieces that encapsulate the continuity of a unique and unparalleled artisan tradition that looks to the future.
The remarkable story of these one hundred masterpieces symbolizes the heritage of the Damiani family, an invitation to delve into a dimension poised between eternal beauty and flawless craftsmanship.
Jessica Chastain, new global brand ambassador
Moreover, Damiani has also announced that Jessica Chastain will be its new global brand ambassador and the protagonist of the new global advertising campaign that will be released in Summer 2024. In this wonderfully special year, this choice further strengthens the brand’s desire to underscore its iconic uniqueness in the luxury segment and is further confirmation of the excellent growth it is enjoying globally, as demonstrated by the numerous strategic investments in the various areas of business.
Jessica Chastain and Silvia Damiani met when the actress visited the Murano-based glassmaker Venini, a brand owned by the Damiani Group. Since then, the relationship between the family at the head of the luxury Maison and the actress has naturally evolved and deepened so much so that Jessica served as a guest of honor of the gala evening celebrating Damiani’s 100th anniversary, held in Milan on the 14th of March.
As a versatile artist and a sophisticated, elegant and confident woman who shares some of Damiani’s core traits, such as passion, creativity and family ties, Jessica Chastain is the perfect embodiment of the brand’s inherent values. The actress constantly expresses her love for Italy, to which she feels especially close for personal and emotional reasons, and has always shown a genuine, heartfelt interest in our culture – to which Damiani is also particularly attached as an ambassador of our beautiful country worldwide. It is no wonder, therefore, that the brand has chosen her as its new face to represent its style globally.
Jessica Chastain is a critically acclaimed American actress and producer, highly regarded for her performances in several successful movies. In 2022, she won an Academy Award as Best Actress for her role in The Eyes of Tammy Faye. She has also received numerous other awards, including a Golden Globe as Best Actress for her role in Zero Dark Thirty. Her amazing ability to play a wide range of characters, along with her magnetic appeal and great screen presence, have made her one of the most respected, sought after and award-winning actresses in Hollywood.
Jessica Chastain commented: “I am delighted to be Damiani’s Global Ambassador and to represent the values of this wonderful company throughout the world. One hundred years of history, passion, craftsmanship and creativity are an important legacy worth preserving. It is an honour for me to be a part of a family that safeguards and passes on Italy’s artisanal excellence worldwide.”
Guido Damiani, President of the Damiani Group, declared: “It is an honour to welcome Jessica into our family. Her extraordinary qualities as an actress and as a person are known to all, but ours is also a choice of the heart. Jessica is a sophisticated, committed, acclaimed woman, but most of all, she is authentic and true to her values – just like us. Together, I am sure we will do great things and achieve important new goals.”
Mimosa Eternal Blue
Damiani’s extraordinary artisan vocation reaches its highest expression in the iconic Mimosa collection. Encapsulated in the ‘apparent chaos’ of these refined creations, an innovative technique harmoniously combines stones of different sizes and cuts, expressing the Maison’s sublime genius through a design that comes to life three-dimensionally.
With Mimosa, the art of jewelry making is elevated to a sensory experience, with soft jewels that envelop naturally around the figure, like gracefully laid flowers.
The Mimosa line is at the heart of the celebratory collection that the Maison has created for its centenary. Highlighting the beauty of the Eternal Blue necklace is a majestic, 100-carat, cushion-cut sapphire that expresses Damiani’s craftsmanship excellence and historical tradition. A masterpiece of nature with its far-away origins draws the eye with its magnetic royal blue hue, enhanced in all its splendour by the diamonds that encircle it in an embrace of light.
A unique masterpiece whose strong, versatile personality allows it to be worn in a variety of ways: as a sumptuous necklace, as a more minimal pendant on a diamond-studded white gold chain, and finally as a luxurious brooch. Both the necklace and the chain can also be worn individually.
New Mimosa watches
In this truly special centenary year, Damiani has also created a line of stunning Mimosa watches that become even more alluring and contemporary through the usage of color in the dial and satin strap, striking the perfect balance between elegance and sophistication.
Unique and extraordinary, the ‘apparent chaos’ element of these extraordinary creations is an innovative technique that sets the collection apart. To create this effect, Valenza’s skilled goldsmiths have created a sequence of handmade gold bezels which embrace gems of different sizes and cuts, endowing each piece with dynamism and personality. From a technical point of view, these watches stand out for the supreme precision of their quartz movement, guaranteed by expert Swiss watchmakers whose work meets the highest quality standards demanded by the Maison.
The new Mimosa watches, available in two versions and various colors ranging from classic black, chocolate and blue to the more unusual shades of fire red and bottle green: a 32 mm soleillé dial, embellished with three rows of diamonds for a total of 3.44 carats; a 32mm pavé dial, embellished with three rows of diamonds for a total of 4.03 carats. These new models are complemented by the collection’s stunning bracelet-watches with their enchanting richness and the complexity of their precious craftsmanship.
Margherita Desert Garden
Conceived in the 1920s as a tribute to the Queen of Italy, Margherita of Savoy by the founder Enrico Grassi Damiani, the Margherita collection is a sublime expression of the Maison’s creativity. An elegant blend of tradition and design, of modern jewelry art and historical heritage, Margherita symbolizes refined Italian creativity that draws from its history to generate innovative ideas. The inspiration behind the creativity is expressed in the collection’s distinctive floral elements, each of unique dimensions and widths with their precious heart that houses the highest-carat gem, surrounded by a graceful display of petals. The skilled craftsmanship of the Valenza goldsmiths is fully expressed in the sequentially set gems that features on each petal, giving rise to unique colour nuances and a dynamic three-dimensional effect.
Among the creations designed to celebrate Damiani’s centenary is the extraordinary and striking Margherita Desert Garden, a necklace that pays tribute to the beauty of nature and the enchanting colours of a desert sunrise. Symbolizing the Maison’s creativity, a precious composition in yellow gold sprinkled with leaves and entwined with flowers is adorned by an extraordinary drop-cut fancy diamond. This ultra-rare gem stands out for its exceptional deep brown-yellow hue and its impressive carat weight of over 20 carats. The necklace is skilfully embellished with brown diamonds and emeralds, creating a sumptuous carpet on which daisies made from white diamonds and a central fancy yellow diamond are gracefully laid.
Belle Époque Frame
The Belle Époque collection is a splendid artistic manifestation of History which encapsulates the capacity to look to the past but with an eye on the future to become an interpretation of its own time. The Belle Époque was a golden era characterised by effervescent joie de vivre and exceptional cultural innovation, which lead to the birth of a new form of expression: the cinema. It was in this very epoch of history that the founder of the Maison, Enrico Damiani, looked to for inspiration for his sublimely perfect creations. This collection’s High Jewelry masterpieces are a priceless tribute to the art of cinema with which they share a creative charm that captures the imagination and arouses emotions.
In celebration of the Maison’s centenary, the skilled goldsmiths of Valenza have created Belle Époque Frame, a white gold bracelet whose geometric perfection entwines with its extraordinarily impeccable aesthetics. The motif of the film reel is taken up in a sublimely precious and dynamic alternation of diamonds and fancy diamonds. Light reigns supreme in this work of High Jewelry art – the same light that brought cinema to life – is here enhanced by a pavé of diamonds embellishing the seventeen square frames that make up the jewel. Each frame shares baguette-cut diamond with the one adjacent to it, while at the centre of each stands a fancy diamond in various cuts – brilliant, cushion, oval and heart – and in various hues. The shades of varying intensity range from yellow to orange and brown and are arranged in harmonious combinations for an alluring visual effect.
Fantasy Cut The Damiani Green Treasure of Muzo
The Fantasy Cut collection represents the Maison’s passion for its history, its savoir-faire and for the beauty of the raw materials that the goldsmiths of Valenza forge with their extraordinary skills. Enchanting and captivating, the creations are not mere jewels but true works of jewelry art that tell a story. A story of light, love and perfection, bearing testament to the extraordinary talent of master goldsmiths who transform the precious gems into authentic masterpieces and create hypnotic mosaics through a variety of shapes, bringing to life unique treasures that stand the test of time.
Among the creations designed to celebrate Damiani’s centenary is the striking and magnificent Fantasy Cut The Damiani Green Treasure of Muzo, an extraordinary jewelry piece that blends elegance with tradition. Enriched with emerald-cut and brilliant-cut diamonds, this luxurious white gold necklace features a pendant set which is a true wonder of nature: a majestic Muzo emerald of almost 64 carats whose intense green colour – a tribute to the lush rainforest – makes it truly extraordinary. Symbolic of Colombia’s magnificence and hidden treasures, this ultra-rare gem embodies ancient stories of strength and power.
There are various legends surrounding the origin of the Muzo emeralds. One of the most fascinating tells the tale of a broken promise of faithfulness between two immortal beings – Fura and Tena – and of tears of pain that turn into beautiful and eternal green stones. Another peculiar aspect of this unique jewel is its versatility: the pendant can be removed and worn in a variety of ways.
