Designer Spotlight: Roberto Coin
Did you know that within every piece of Roberto Coin jewelry there’s a ruby hidden inside? It’s a signature touch of the brand’s creator because, according to ancient legends, rubies have magical, healing powers and the ability to bring peace and happiness. Coin wants each customer’s skin in direct contact with the gemstone as a secret gift.
It’s this attention to detail that allows Roberto Coin to stand out in a crowded field of jewelry designers. And it’s why his earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings and pendants have been coveted baubles all over the world. Loyal celebrity fans include Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Brooke Shields, Blake Lively, Kristen Stewart, Petra Nemcova and Joan Collins.
In fact, Roberto Coin is one of the most popular jewelry lines we sell at Gray & Sons Jewelers. Coin collectors look to us to purchase pre-owned pieces at excellent prices. Because Mr. Coin is such a prodigious designer, we always have a nice selection of his jewelry in stock—from the classic woven collections to his newer stackable bracelets. Our clients appreciate the handcraftsmanship of Coin’s products, a skill that undoubtedly hails back to his beginnings in Italy.
A jewelry designer since the 1970’s, Coin was greatly influenced by his hometown of Vicenza, Italy, which is known as the “City of Gold.” In 1996, he founded his eponymous jewelry brand there with an emphasis on woven 18k gold jewelry, which he fabricated using machines meant to weave car exhaust pipes. Those woven pieces became the hallmark of his company, especially the Primavera collection.
Coin’s conflict-free jewelry spans hundreds of intricate, beautiful pieces, from delicate Ipanema necklaces to romantic, matching Princess Flower sets. His “Perfect Diamond Hoops” layer diamonds on both the outside and inside of each hoop for continuous symmetry. There’s the iconic New Barocco collection, with its woven elegant designs, and the hand-etched and hand-carved Pois Moi collection featuring textured rings, earrings and bracelets in all expressions of 18k gold.
Coin is a master alchemist, often mixing rose, white and yellow gold and diamonds together in one piece, such as tri-color flower earrings and pendants. Bold bouquets and chunky rings and cuffs are part of his philosophy: “Fashion is changeable,” Coin observes. “It is whimsical. Style is not. Style is part of us, of our life, in every moment and every expression.”
Today, Coin’s company is still on the cutting-edge of style and function as it experiments with the latest technology, including 3-D printers and digital model making (as opposed to rubber molds), while relying on the artisan handiwork he is known for. And he’s still based in Vicenza, in a factory on the outskirts of town, designing the most remarkable jewelry and embedding rubies to delight women all over the world.
Are you ruby ready? If so, we’d love to help you purchase your next Roberto Coin piece at Gray & Sons.