Venetian Roberto Coin is one of the world’s most influential jewellers and of course a “number one” brand in the jewelry industry of Italy.
He established his own fashion house in 1977, but the Roberto Coin Trade Mark was born in 1996.
In 1999, Roberto Coin’s Vulcano jewelry made him the winner of the Diamonds Today International Contest.
In 2000, Roberto Coin took the seventh place among the most popular jewelry brands in the United States and two years later he was the third.
In 2001, Roberto Coin won the third place among the prize-winners of First Basel Awards for a gold necklace with color jewels; the first and third places at the Gold Trends 2000 International Contest for his Africa Collection and also was the best in the nomination of Wedding Design (Couture Design Awards Contest, the Capriccio Collection).
In 2002, he received an Oscar at Gold Virtuosi 2nd Edition for a head-dress, cache-nez and bracelet.
In 2003 and 2005 he became the winner of the Pearl of Tahiti Premium Award.
Currently, the company of Roberto Coin produces up to 600 new jewelry models annually and they are on sale in Via Nazionale in Rome, San Marco Square in Venice and in the company’s boutiques worldwide - at more than 1200 sales outlets across the world. The company is headquartered in the Italian province of Vicenza which is well-known for its jewelry. The American branch of the company, Roberto Coin Inc., is seated in New York in the famous Fifth Avenue.
Jewelry designed by Roberto Coin is noted for its humor and high quality and also for its wide range of themes – from fauna (COBRA, PANDA, ELEPHANT, GIRAFFA) to unique chocolate-shaped pendents (СHOCOLATE), mini-cans of black caviar (CAVIAR) and a bouquet of roses. One of the latest collections, GOLD CLUTCH, is made of white gold, diamonds and pearls. The detail by which it is possible to recognize a Roberto Coin piece immediately is a tiny ruby inside as a present to all customers of the brand. Among them are movie stars Uma Thurman, Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sharon Stone, singer Madonna, models Claudia Slate and Naomi Campbell.
The charming Roberto is artistic Italian way and hot as a Spaniard and his inner world seems no less rich than the one around him. Here is what he told about himself and his trade.
My first name is Italian and my last name is Spanish taken after the name of a small Spanish town, Coin, near Granada. In 1503, my ancestors moved from Spain to Venice, they were a Jewish family fleeing from Catholics but now we are three century old Catholics ourselves since used to fall in love with Catholic girls.
What generation of jewelers in the family do you represent?
The first. I was engaged in a separate business – quite successfully. And once I sold my hotel to make my ideas and dreams come true. There was no special reason for that – simply I am in love with Italian creativity. And the Italians just have it in their blood. Here we have the best kind of design in the world.
Italy has been manufacturing jewelry from the Middle Ages, from the Renaissance. The then nobility needed the best clothes, footwear, works of art, jewels, houses, and horses. With Italians, the urge to create the best of everything turned into tradition and now they want to see beautiful houses, churches, pictures - all the surrounding space. It is the country of perfectionists.
On the Italian territory there are over 5000 jewelry workshops, no other country has that number. Italy is the mother of all jewelry traditions. We are the first founders of fashion. It is not that we are better than others, we are just more experienced. Today, about 50 percent of worldwide design is generated by Italians.
Currently, I am engaged in many kinds of business selling the best Italian wine in China; I am also sitting on the board of directors at a bank (I am versed in the financial sphere); I am engaged as adviser with politicians (I am sound on politics as well). Me and my brother go in antiques belonging to the 15th-18th centuries. And we are also making watches, perfumes, bags – just everything; we even have no time to launch something new. For me it is important to create something new - therefore I have created my own style. I always try to challenge the settled norms and myself.
Your trade mark is mainly associated with elegant collections of jewelry pieces. Why did you choose jewelry design of all things?
I entered the world of fashion when I was 33 years old and started to learn the trade from well-known masters of jewelry art and then understood that I could create a jewelry brand of my own. For me it is important to create a real style which will satisfy even the most refined taste. That is why I always try to observe the world around me which opens reality: this sets free my imagination and gives new sensations and a stimulus.
I am a designer-creator and this is a special category. I know the manufacturing process in depth and I understand what it is possible to make and what it is impossible. So we avoid a number of trials and errors. I have never gone to a school of design and learned to make sketches on my own. I am making sketches, and my employees already understand how they should be interpreted in line with my design. I explain, and they already bring it all up to beauty. I have a fine team united by a new creative sight at familiar things. And everything which I do is the best.
The material is not important – the important thing is design, isn’t it?
In my opinion the important thing is luxury for eyes – so that things were beautiful and there were some history behind them. This is what I offer to my client – because I know my client. I look at the client or his wife and I try to understand the person, his or her individuality, his or her character. Then I build in the jewel a certain image which came to my mind during the meeting with the customer. If this image is liked by the client, he or she leaves me with a purchase, if not - the piece remains with me.
Creativity is in curiosity. My style is to change style. I want to create what I never saw before. If it already exists in nature it is of no interest to me.
I do not like to repeat the same motifs - to be a boring designer.
And in my design there is everything that I love and I do not love, my views pass even to politics and economy. I would like to create a fairer world.
Everyone wants his things be recognized – but everyone can become recognized by putting up big investments. For me it doesn’t make any difference: the main thing is to create beauty. Currently, we have more than 41,000 absolutely different design pieces which are on sale in 13 countries. Our client base totals 1,200 clients. A huge variety of people and tastes! And everyone wants something that meets only his or her requests. Mexicans are not Russians, and Russians are not Italians.
And what do you think of Russian buyers?
In Russia buyers are smart and they know what they want and what is necessary for them. They strive to look wealthy and beautiful, but at the same time the Russians have a taste. And I am glad that jewelry pieces from Roberto Coin enjoy success with Russian customers.
It is on record that you like to use diamonds.
Of course. Diamond is one of the most widespread precious stones which apparently does not require any improvements. It has always been a stone “number one.” Diamonds are always preferable, starting from engagement. In fact, no one gives a sapphire ring for engagement or wedding – it is always a diamond ring.
I am a co-owner of Rosy Blue and we have well-known diamonds named Cento, they are of Russian origin and quite unique being the only diamonds in the world with 100 facets. This is a number of perfection – for me. It is also an almost ideal diamond: 100 facets, which is almost twice as many as the traditional cut has where there are only 57 facets.
The classical diamond cut has 33 top facets and 24 bottom facets; the Cento cut has 37 top facets and 63 bottom facets. Any diamond sized from 0.07 carats may be cut this way. These types of diamonds or other stones are used only by me, and no other jeweler can add them into his jewelry pieces. Everything I am doing should be mine, from A to Z. Diamonds, sapphires – everything should be different from others’ works. Why? Because I am not like others.
Do you wear any diamond jewelry yourself?
No, I do not like to adorn myself, I do it for women. My wife has is a lot of jewelry pieces with diamonds. She can take anything of what I make.
Your gifts for her – are they something special and original?
Everything special and original which I make for her and for clients becomes fashionable there and then. Everything which I make for her is worn by my buyers across the world.
What are the priority things in your life?
My family - my wife and three children. I have two sons and one daughter.
Are your children going to inherit your business?
Well, I do not insist on it. One of my sons will be better than me, that’s for sure – he is 15 years old and I would like to have five such boys as him.
Do you wear your brand yourself?
No. What is on me now is from Cartier because I made a lot of things for Cartier. I have a Rolex watch because it is a gift of my wife. I do not buy watches for myself – I have a lot of them, but I do not like to know what the time is and usually I carry my watch in my pocket.
Galina Semyonova, Rough&Polished, Venice
