Damiani (jewelry company)
 | |
| Type | Società per azioni |
|---|---|
| Traded as | BIT: DMN |
| Industry | Jewellers |
| Founded | 1924, in Valenza, Italy |
| Headquarters |
Piazza Damiano Grassi "Damiani" n.1 |
| Key people |
Guido Grassi Damiani, CEO Giorgio Grassi Damiani, Vice President Enrico Grassi Damiani, Founder |
| Products | Jewelry |
| Website | damiani.com |
Damiani is an Italian jewelry and watches company founded in 1924 by Enrico Grassi Damiani in Valenza, Italy. Strongly influenced by the beauty of Art Deco styles, Enrico designed and produced fine jewelry which quickly became renowned.[citation needed] He became the personal jeweler of influent and noble families of the time.[citation needed]
History
Damiano, Enrico's son, continued to run the family company and introduced new marketing and advertising strategies.[citation needed] Damiani, for example, was the first company to introduce Certificates of Authenticity for jewelry pieces showing the details included in the jewelry, for example, the number of carats.[citation needed]
Starting in the 1980s, the company renewed its communication style introducing famous and prestigious testimonials, actors and actress of Hollywood.[citation needed]
The company's estimated total sales (in 2010/2011) were €150 million.[1]
Awards
Damiani has won 18 Diamonds International Awards.[citation needed]
Lawsuit
Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston filed a $50 million lawsuit against a jewelry designer that began selling imitations of their wedding bands, which were supposedly "one of a kind".[citation needed] The couple claims they had an agreement with Damiani International that the company would never reproduce the wedding bands or the engagement ring (designed by Pitt).[2] Damiani reportedly sold "Brad and Jennifer knockoffs" and sold them on the Internet and at Damiani dealerships using the couple’s images to sell the product.[citation needed] That dispute has been settled and Pitt will now design a line of jewelry for the company and Aniston will model it in ads.[citation needed] Their wedding bands were based on an idea of Pitt’s. They were white gold and were engraved with "Jen 2000" (his) and "Brad 2000" (hers). The rings had 10 and 20 diamonds embedded in them respectively. Damiani International states, "Mr. Pitt will design an exclusive jewelry collection for Damiani, and Ms. Aniston will be featured in an international advertising campaign that will run in a number of countries throughout the world, with the exception of North America.".[citation needed]
The statement was confirmed by Pitt’s publicist.[citation needed] In exchange for Pitt designing an exclusive line for the company and Aniston modeling for the ads, Damiani will stop selling copies of Pitt and Aniston’s wedding rings. It has been reported that Pitt and friends were collaborating on a clothing line, but Pitt’s camp has denied that rumor.*[3]
References
- ↑ Chevalier, Michel (2012). Luxury Brand Management. Singapore: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-17176-9.
- ↑ "Pitt and Aniston settle rings case". BBC News. 13 January, 2002. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ↑ Pitt and Aniston settle rings case, January 13, 2002, BBC News