It was a truly buona sera at the Mandarin Oriental Dubai, when Damiani brought its 100X100 Italiani event to town. Part of a year of centenary celebrations, the family-owned Maison was in the mood to fête its achievements both past and present with an expression of the spirit of its home country. Defining its five ‘all-Italian’ values as “the family, represented by the Damiani family; craftsmanship, interpreted by the Mimosa collection; creativity, expressed by the Margherita collection; history, defined by the Belle Époque collection; and passion, illustrated by the Fantasy Cut collection,” a specially curated array of high jewellery was on breathtaking display.
GMT GCC caught up with Damiani Group president Guido Damiani to find out more about his family’s significant achievement: so how did it feel to celebrate the Maison’s centenary in the Golden City of Dubai?
“A hundred years is a great milestone, and it’s an emotional and exciting year for us,” said Guido. “Dubai is a city full of vibrant energy where I have decided to live with my family since a few years now, so I’m particularly happy and proud that we brought our celebrations and the 100X100 Italiani exhibition here to this amazing city so committed to excellence, just like Damiani, that I can now call home. Above all, these have been 100 years of passion, history, craftmanship and creativity, and all these values have been translated into a special high It was a truly buona sera at the Mandarin Oriental Dubai, when Damiani brought its 100X100 Italiani event to town. Part of a year of centenary celebrations, the family-owned Maison was in the mood to fête its achievements both past and present with an expression of the spirit of its home country. Defining its five ‘all-Italian’ values as “the family, represented by the Damiani family; craftsmanship, interpreted by the Mimosa collection; creativity, expressed by the Margherita collection; history, defined by the Belle Époque collection; and passion, illustrated by the Fantasy Cut collection,” a specially curated array of high jewellery was on breathtaking display.
GMT GCC caught up with Damiani Group president Guido Damiani to find out more about his family’s significant achievement: so how did it feel to celebrate the Maison’s centenary in the Golden City of Dubai?
“A hundred years is a great milestone, and it’s an emotional and exciting year for us,” said Guido. “Dubai is a city full of vibrant energy where I have decided to live with my family since a few years now, so I’m particularly happy and proud that we brought our celebrations and the 100X100 Italiani exhibition here to this amazing city so committed to excellence, just like Damiani, that I can now call home. Above all, these have been 100 years of passion, history, craftmanship and creativity, and all these values have been translated into a special high jewellery collection that we were happy to share with our dear friends and fans in Middle East.”
An exclusive gala dinner, attended by famous faces including Enjy Kiwan, Sasha Ray, Farnoush Hamidian and Anabella Hillal, was hosted by brother and sister Guido and Silvia Damiani — respectively president and vice-president of the Damiani Group — making it truly a family affair. The event’s exhibition-style layout was curated by Alba Cappellieri, professor of Jewellery Design at the Politecnico di Milano, to best represent the culmination of Damiani’s 100-year history.
“Everything was organised at the stunning Royal Penthouse of the Mandarin Oriental,” added Guido. “The exhibition was characterised by a private visit to our special collection, hosted by myself, my sister Silvia and my wife Alessandra. We personally introduced our guests to our 100 years of history, and we walked them through the precious jewels showcased. After the visit, we welcomed our distinguished guests for the gala dinner set up in the penthouse, surrounded by our magnificent jewels, with an all-Italian exquisite menu symbolising our values: history, creativity, craftsmanship and Italian passion. The Italian chef cooked and explained each course. The atmosphere was magical and intimate, just like we wanted.”
GMT GCC sends its congratulations to the distinguished Italian House — and hopes for at least 100 years more!
