“Creativity—you either have it or you don’t. Either you’re a dreamer or you’re not,” said Roberto Coin. He’s the brain behind Italian jewellery brand Roberto Coin, whose inception came about in 1996. Known for a hidden, small ruby set on the inside of every piece he creates, the brand is true to Coin’s passion for life—coffee and tobacco included. His idea of a hidden gem comes from an old belief. People believed that wearing a small ruby on their skin would make them healthier, happier and live longer. Rubies are still believed to have magic powers, like bringing peace. Every single piece of Roberto Coin jewellery is a result of Coin’s experience with culture and influences. “Different countries, different art, different ladies, different ways of dressing—it gives me ideas. I interpret what I see in creating a design which has never been seen before,” he shared with GRAZIA Malaysia. Coin says that creativity comes to him naturally—and it never runs out. “It’s endless, thank God. Do I want to make a copy of a carving I see? No. I will make a carving which has never been seen before; a new one.”
Coin, who was a former hotelier, had to learn the art of jewellery design, and how it is run, from scratch. This was out of his comfort zone. “I cannot really design. I used to work in the hospitality industry. I’m a good writer, so I draw. Sketching is not the same as designing,” he explained. He was inspired by his desire to learn. After visiting more than 1,000 factories in the world, he created designs that reached the wrists and collars of Hollywood’s A-listers. “I understood the technology and how a piece gets made. After seven years of working with important people, I started to manufacture. It didn’t happen just like that. Coming from another industry helped me a lot because I see jewellery and fashion in a different manner than all the jewellers, which is what they’ve been doing their whole life.”
Then, there are characteristics that he brings over from being a hotelier: “It’s how I receive you, or my guests. To me, it’s the ability to communicate with your customers in an elegant, professional and ethical manner. You’ve got to understand who is in front of you,” he explained But service is not just it. “At a hotel, good food is a must, so good service and good quality jewellery, and the security of buying a Roberto Coin piece is something that I will guarantee.”
Roberto Coin Factory is proud of its independence and takes pride in training their employees across all departments. “I wanted to be independent so I can change collections every three months. If something goes wrong—four months. (laughs)” He added that there is a shortage of people wanting to join as artisans in the factory, because, “Before you start making our jewellery, you have to go through two years of hell. Hell.” Training is as tough as it gets. “There are a lot of security guards at the factory, as there might be robbers.” Yet, Coin believes that “innovation and diversity within the company is a must. So, we have to invest in these young people and we’ll invest with pleasure if they really love what they do.”
This article was first published in GRAZIA Malaysia‘s October 2023 issue and later syndicated from Grazia.my.
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