Damiani’s New Rings Showcase its Color Pallet and Design Breadth

Paradise ring in white gold, diamonds and sapphires

Damiani, continues to demonstrate its excellence in Italian design with new collections that sparkle with a liberal use of colorful gold and gemstones. During the Baselworld Tradefair in Basel, Switzerland, and the Couture Show in Las Vegas, the Milan-based jewelry house unveiled a seemingly limitless supply of new colorful products. I decided to focus on new rings from four collections that help define how the company combines aesthic content with refined design to create classical jewelry with a modern sparkle.

Paradise

Volume, light and color are the foundation of Damiani’s new Paradise collection in which it uses these elements to capture the beauty of starry skies and the mysterious, distant allure of celestial constellations. The collection combines gold, diamonds and precious gems for sparkling effects.

Paradise rings come in white gold with diamonds; white gold with diamonds and sapphires; and yellow gold and fancy diamonds. Pictured: Paradise ring in white gold, diamonds and sapphires.

Moon Drops

For its Moon Drops collection, Damiani looked to italian jewelry designer Ludovica Andreoni Montezemolo. Known as a style-icon and trend-setter, the designer created a collection that plays with different shades of yellow, rose and white gold and with black, white and brown diamonds.

The rings are versatile and easy to match, available in the three shades of gold and with precious and semiprecious stones of different colors. They can be worn one by one or mixed together.

The soft and rounded shapes are designed to attract contemporary women who can create a personal style by combining different pieces. Pictured: Moon Drop rings in three shades of gold with precious and semiprecious stones of different colors. They can be worn individually or mixed together.

Macramè

Patterns of light and space are the hallmarks of Damiani’s Macramè collection. As the name implys, the textile technique was the inspiration behind the design of the line includes six models (three rings, two jewels and a bracelet). To me, it’s most reminiscent of the Cavandoli macramé, which uses geometric and free-form patterns like weaving.

The rings in the collection come in two chromatic versions: A classical one in white gold with diamonds and a more innovative and trendy one in rose gold with brown diamonds. Pictured: Macramè ring in rose gold with brown diamonds. 

Metropolitan Dream
The company added to its successful Metropolitan Dream collection with three solitaire rings in rose, white and black gold. The inspiration for this line comes from the skylines of major cities at various stages of the day. The rounded edges of the gold rings, earrings, bangles and pendants are shaped by miniature squares that provides a textured look and feel. It is a modern design that the quality of its tradition. Pictured: Metropolitan solitaire rings in white, black and rose gold.

Fabergé Unveils A New Egg Collection

The Train des Fleurs Egg

Fabergé recently unveiled its first collection of its High Jewelry Egg Pendants—the first such collection to bear the authentic Fabergé name since 1917.

The Diaghilev Egg

 

The collection pays homage to the legendary Imperial Eggs created by Peter Carl Fabergé for the Romanov family, the company said. The new collection is a celebration of the egg as a timeless universal symbol of life. Fabergé has designed a collection of 12 one-of-a-kind egg pendants, one for each month of the year, under the name, “Les Fameux de Fabergé.” Each egg illustrates a traditional Russian proverb, through complex, multi-layered concepts.

The Diamond Egg

The new creations were launched in Paris Friday during Haute Couture Week. Each egg will retail from $100,000 to $600,000. In addition, Fabergé, owned by investment company Pallinghurst Resources which purchased the brand from Unilever in 2007, said will work on private, personal commissions incorporating personal references, meanings and messages, “just as the Imperial Easter Eggs were created as personal gifts from one family member to another.”

 

The Ribbon Egg

 

Fabergé said each egg pendant involves “a lengthy, exacting and in many cases pioneering fabrication process, pushing boundaries of both design and manufacture, and taking contemporary craftsmanship to a new level of sophistication. Bejewelled, superbly crafted, each with its own intriguing story, and full of surprises.”

The collection will be exhibited at the Fabergé boutique in Geneva from July 18 till August 21.

The first nine of the 12 eggs of collection “Les Fameux de Fabergé” are listed as follows:

The Diaghilev Egg, “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it,” diamond circles with rubies and an invisibly-set diamond drawer that opens at the push of a gemstone to reveal a matching pendant.

The Ribbon Egg, “A gift is better than a promise,” an elaborate gem-embroidered layered, articulated ribbon, based on traditional Russian prints and textiles, set at the top with a large diamond and ornamented with enamel, lacquer and precious stones.

The Cherry Egg, “Life is a bowl of cherries,” clustered with luscious cherries, in carved stones, gold and gems, with a hidden golden nut and then a golden pit inside.

The Train des Fleurs Egg, “He that travels knows much,” recalling the train that brought flowers from Grasse, in the South of France, to St Petersburg, during the winter party season, ensuring the palace halls were filled with spring flowers and fragrance.

The Chimère Egg, “What you see is not always what you get,” a puzzle egg, in the spirit of Russian fairy tales, with rotating segments, a fish, flower and frog, creating child-like fantasy creatures.

The High Tech Egg, “Every man is the architect of his own fortune,” an intricate three-dimensional structure, playing with space, height, depth and color to create a modernist framework.

The Mosaic Egg, “Old love does not rust,” inspired by the eponymous Fabergé Imperial Egg and its interpretation of petit point embroidery, with delicate diamond lattice work at the both ends.

The Diamond Egg, “Genius is simplicity,” a titanium egg, entirely invisibly-set with white diamonds, a feat that the company says has never been achieved.

The Snake Egg, “Where there is love, there is no darkness,” the serpent curled around a glossy enameled egg, re-interpreting a favorite Fabergé emblem, symbol of eternity and rebirth.

Aaron Basha is moving to Ivanka Trump Madison Ave Jewelry Space

As reported here on Monday, Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry Collection is moving from its 62nd Street and Madison Avenue location to a retail space on 109 Mercer Street in Manhattan’s Soho district. Today we learn that the Madison Avenue space will be occupied by luxury jewelry designer and retailer, Aaron Basha.

The latest announcement was made by Prudential Douglas Elliman's Retail Group. Faith Hope Consolo, chairman, and Joseph Aquino, executive VP of Prudential Douglas Elliman's brokered the deal, representing both the tenants and the landlords.

“This was a complicated series of transactions but the move for Aaron Basha has secured a bigger space and better presence on a rarified block he is so completely identified with,” Consolo said. “And the downtown direction for Ivanka Trump is an important step for her bold and dramatic designs because it takes her to a distinctive center of innovative style.”

Aquino added, “We have orchestrated the ultimate musical chairs of retail real estate, and each tenant will benefit from these efforts.… It worked out in a way that made everyone's wish list come true.”

Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry to relocate its N.Y. Boutique

Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry said Monday that is plans to move its New York retail business from its current Madison Avenue location to a substantially larger 3,100-square-foot flagship boutique on 109 Mercer Street in New York’s Soho district.

The brand, which creates and sells jewelry through retail and wholesale channels, opened its 900-square-foot boutique on 62nd Street and Madison Avenue in September 2007. Construction of the company’s new flagship will begin this summer, and it is scheduled to open late fall in time for the holiday season, the company said. The new space will showcase ten distinctive collections of jewelry, an environmentally conscious bridal bar, a VIP room highlighting one-of-a-kind couture pieces and a gallery to showcase future categories such as timepieces.

The new venue will retain the original design concept of the Madison Avenue boutique, the company said. The expanded boutique will allow for more people to attend scheduled events, such as the weekly “Champagne Saturdays,” and also allow Ivanka Trump and the company to host other co-branded events, such as the United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up campaign, in which she is a founding member.

The company said it will maintain its midtown boutique at the Trump Tower.

40 Luxury Timepieces on Sale at ‘Only Watch’ Charity Auction

The luxury watch industry is as competitive as it is generous. Both of these traits will be on display in the coming months as 40 of the top watch brands in the world have donated highly prized timepieces for the Only Watch international charity auction on September 23 in Monaco. All proceeds from the auction will go toward supporting research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a highly debilitating neuromuscular disease that affects children, primarily boys.

Audemar Piguet Jules Audemars Gstaad Classic Chronograph

Under the patronage of Prince Albert II, 40 timepieces will be sold by the horological auction house, Antiquorum, at the Hotel Hermitage. The event, the fourth edition of the luxury watch auction, is expected to draw luxury watch connoisseurs from around the world as well as online and telephone bidders. The sale will be preceded by a nine-city world tour beginning August 30 that will end with a three-day exhibition at the Monaco Yacht Show, which is co-organizing Only Watch with the Monaco Association against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Antiquorum.

Bell & Ross BR01 Casino pink gold watch

The last edition of Only Watch, in September 2009, raised 2.5 million euros ($3.5 million), which were donated to 15 scientific partners and their teams, including 90 researchers and clinicians in five countries (France, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States).

Blancpain

Luis Garcia, research director at the CNRS Paris, said the financial support from the last Only Watch auction went to support research that accelerated clinical developments on Duchenne muscular dystrophy over the past two years, including several clinical trials on exon skipping, some of which are already entering phase 3.

BLU Gagarin Tourbillon

“For all these research efforts, the synergy of various scientific approaches, co-ordination between the various teams, and collaborative partnerships has all been decisive,” Garcia said.

Bovet Fleurier 7-Days Tourbillon Reversed Hand-Fitting ”Dragon & Phoenix”

As of this writing, 38 of the 40 companies have released an image of their donated piece. They are all pictured and the final two will be added when they become available.

Breguet Classique Grande Complication, Réveil Musical

The World Tour Schedule:

Singapore - August 30
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Malmaison by The Hour Glass
270 Orchard Road,
#01-01 Knightsbridge
Singapore 238857

Hong Kong - September 1
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Antiquorum Auctioneers Ltd.
9 Queen’s Road, Suite 704
Central, Hong Kong

Shanghai - September 3
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Private club of UOB PRIVILEGE BANKING
No. 158 Ma Dang Road Xin Tian Di,
Shanghai

Beijing - September 5
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Ritz-Carlton
No. 83A Jian Guo Road
Chaoyang District, Beijing 100025

Tokyo - September 7
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Hour Glass Tokyo
Royal Crystal Ginza
5-4-6 Ginza Chuo-ku
Tokyo 104-0061

Los Angeles - September 9
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Westime Beverly Hills
254 North Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills, California 90210

New York - September 12
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Antiquorum Auctioneers
595 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022

Milan - September 15
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Orologerio Luigi Verga
Via Mazzini angolo via Dogana 3
20123 Milano

Geneva - September 16 and 17
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Antiquorum SA
2, rue du Mont-Blanc
1211 Geneva

Monaco
September 21 and 22, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
September 23, 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Monaco Yacht Show
Port Hercule - Principauté de Monaco

The remaining watches that up for auction after the jump:

The Wealthiest Shoppers Choose Amazon.com

The wealthiest 2 percent of the U.S. population have embraced online shopping with Amazon.com by far their favorite online retailer, according to a recent Unity Marketing survey.

“Amazon.com has consistently emerged in Unity Marketing’s quarterly surveys as ultra-affluents’ top online shopping destination, regularly attracting about 45 percent of all ultra-affluent shoppers, a percentage that is typically two to three times greater than the next most popular website,’ said Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing.

Ultra-affluents are defined by Danziger and Unity Marketing as persons with annual incomes of at least $250,000.

“For the most discerning affluent shoppers Amazon offers outstanding levels of customer service along with an expansive product selection,” Danziger added. “Further, Amazon ‘learns’ the shoppers preferences and offers new selections based upon previous needs which boosts the company's revenues and the customer's satisfaction.”

What stands out from the data, however, is the interest ultra-affluents have in online shops that are geared toward savings. In Unity Marketing's most recent luxury tracking survey, among ultra-affluents surveyed, some 14 percent shopped through auction site eBay.com, just over 10 percent frequented local coupon site Groupon.com, and about 8 percent visited the local “want ad” site, Craigslist.com. All three of these frugal shopping sites were in the top eight among all sites visited.

Also attracting the bargain-hunting, yet wealthy “fashionistas” are flash sale sites like Shopittome.com, Gilt.com, Hautelook.com, BeyondtheRack.com and Amazon's new entry into the category, MyHabit.com, according to the report. Another favorite site for the wealthiest tech-oriented bargain shopper is Buy.com.

“While ultra-affluent consumers may make purchases of top-end luxury items online, the data show that these consumers are also interested in finding great deals and perhaps selling a few of their own unwanted items online,” Danziger said. “It is important for marketers to realize that their wealthiest shoppers are keenly interested in value and bargains, particularly online.  These deal-oriented sites attract even those at the highest income levels.”

Survey: Luxury Up 8% in June, Jewelry Showed Strength and Weakness

The De Beers Jewelry Store on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles.

In its ninth consecutive month of year-over-year gains, the SpendingPulse Luxury Index (excluding Jewelry) for June was up 8.2 percent, more in line with first quarter of the year and better than the 4.7 percent gains seen in May 2011, according to MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, a macroeconomic report tracking national retail and services sales.

Without providing figures, the company said in-store jewelry sales were strong for June, boosted by graduations and weddings. However, online jewelry sales fell by 12.9 percent for the month.

Overall year-over-year growth was supported by gasoline and grocery sales. But, as already noted, not all categories showed strength. For example, specialty apparel showed gains while the electronics and appliances, furniture and furnishings and department stores sectors remained in negative territory.

Enjoying its 23rd straight month in positive territory, and now in its eighth consecutive month of double-digit year-over-year growth, e-Commerce was up 15.2 percent over June 2010. However, as mentioned, not all its sub-categories showed growth. In addition to the decline in jewelry sales, The family clothing category slipped by 0.2 percent year-over-year. In contrast, online Women’s clothing sales grew by 12.2 percent year-over-year.

“As we move into the summer, discretionary spending tends to shift to vacation-related categories, usually reflected in travel sales and particularly in lodging, although we are seeing some weakness in those areas,” said Michael McNamara, VP, Research and Analysis for MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse. “At the same time, June is peak season for weddings and graduations, and this may have helped the continuing strong growth of both luxury and jewelry sectors.”

McNamara noted that broad retail growth continued to be hampered by high gas prices, although they are coming down from their early May highs, as well as high unemployment. Those factors may have been further exacerbated in May by exceptionally wet weather in some parts of the country. “On the other hand,” he said, “unfavorable weather and high gasoline prices appear to have helped e-commerce to its eighth consecutive month of double-digit growth.”