Brad Pitt designs a collection for Damiani

Brad Pitt, jewelry designer? The design-savvy actor added that notch to his belt after working with Italian luxury jeweler Damiani.

To hear Damiani Group CEO Giorgio Grassi Damiani tell it, Pitt, an admirer of Damiani’s elegant creations, approached the house about helping him design an engagement ring for his then ladylove, Jennifer Aniston.  Giorgio’s sister Silvia helped the actor execute a stunning bauble that swirled with diamonds, worth an estimated $500,000.

Pitt’s collaboration with Damiani turned out to be more enduring than his marriage to Aniston. That initial foray led the actor to design a wedding collection for Damiani called D.Side — so-called because you can only see diamonds when the ultra-modern gold bands are turned on their sides.

“The D.Side collection is very popular all over the world,” says Giorgio, who flew from Italy to Manila to launch Damiani at Rustan’s Silver Vault. “It has a touch of modernity but it’s very wearable and very understated, so it’s a very, very successful line.”

Aside from Pitt, Damiani calls a number of celebrities friends. Perhaps the most iconic is Sophia Loren, who acts as an ambassador for the brand and also has a Damiani collection in her name.

“She’s always been a family friend,” claims Giorgio. “We took inspiration from her. From the very beginning she was active and involved in the creative process: we created the design and met her several times in order to match her taste. She was always wearing our jewelry at important events. She’s a fantastic woman, an icon of Italian style in the world, so it was a perfect match.”

Damiani’s Sophia Loren collection is also rendered in the hot trend of the moment, pink gold, valued for its warmth and romantic hue, and liberally sprinkled with a Damiani specialty, diamonds, though Giorgio says they specialize in all kinds of precious stones. “We even use South Sea pearls from the Philippines,” he notes, smiling.

Another celebrity collaboration was with Sharon Stone, who not only co-designed Damiani’s Maji collection using rough diamonds but also participated in the brand’s charitable Clean Water project. “We gave part of the proceeds to Drop in the Bucket, creating wells for clean water in many places in the world, mostly concentrated in Africa,” Giorgio says, showing me that the gold cufflinks he’s wearing are Maji by Sharon Stone. “We traveled together there visiting small villages where they didn’t have water.”

All in the family

Giorgio’s grandfather, Enrico Grassi Damiani, founded Damiani in 1924 in Valenza, an Italian city known for its tradition of jewelry making. A master goldsmith in a town of goldsmiths, leading families of the period turned to Damiani to create unique pieces with fine craftsmanship.

Enrico’s son Damiano and his wife Gabriella inherited the business and continued its growth, and today their children, Giorgio, Silvia and Guido, have taken over the reins and are driving Damiani’s global expansion.

Last year the company turned 90, with almost 70 boutiques worldwide and the distinction of having won 18 Diamonds International Awards, the jewelry industry’s equivalent of the Oscars.

Giorgio attributes Damiani’s success to their timeless design and craftsmanship. “We strongly believe in design but are very careful in being always elegant and long-lasting, because we think it’s very, very important when purchasing a particular kind of jewelry that you want that jewelry all your life, not just for a season like fashion.”

For Damiani’s Manila launch he brought important pieces from their Masterpiece collection, which embodies the brand’s DNA since the beginning. Each decade from the 1920s onwards inspired a different style, of which only 10 pieces were made, for a total of 90 limited-edition pieces. He points out particularly breathtaking bijoux like a Mimosa watch whose dial and bezel are completely covered in white diamonds, and a Butterfly Masterpiece necklace dripping with tear-shaped emeralds.

“A few pieces will be sold at Rustan’s,” he says. “It’s a very important alliance we created. Rustan’s are one of the most international groups because they are very, very top here in Philippines but of course very well known in Europe because they are with many brands for a long time, so they know very well how to treat the luxury brands. This was very important for us, and I hope we can have a good and long-lasting relationship with them.”

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Damiani is available at the Silver Vault in Rustan’s Makati and Rustan’s Tower Shangri-La Plaza.

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