How Roberto Coin's Jewelry Captures the Splendor of Venice
Roberto Coin, synonymous with luxury and Italian craftsmanship, is best known for his exceptional jewelry collections that embody elegance and timeless beauty. While his early career began in the hotel industry, it was in the world of fine jewelry that Coin truly made his mark, drawing inspiration from the rich history and artistry of Venice.
Born in the floating city, Coin's passion for design led him to create some of the most coveted pieces for collectors, blending traditional Italian techniques with innovative, contemporary flair. Throughout his career, Venice—an eternal muse of art, architecture, and culture—has played a pivotal role in shaping his creative vision. The city’s iconic mosaics, palaces, and unwavering allure can be seen reflected in the intricate details and storytelling of his jewelry.
Town & Country Fashion Assistant, Hannah Morrolf, traveled to the floating city to take a deeper look into the world of Roberto Coin. With a visit to the Atelier, a tour to discover the streets of Venice, and an evening at masquerade ball to top it all off, there was no shortage of beauty and craftsmanship at which to marvel. Looking ahead to the future, while drawing inspiration from the past, here, Roberto and Hannah discuss the essence of Roberto Coin and what it means to wear his jewelry.
The most eye-opening part of the trip was our visit to the Vicenza atelier to meet the artisans who make the jewelry. As a leading brand of Italian jewelry design, how does the Roberto Coin brand incorporate Italian craftsmanship and design traditions into its jewelry collections?
Roberto Coin: I am always inspired to create something more beautiful with my next collection. Italian jewelry has always have been known for being meticulous and the best quality. I carry that on with all my collections. While I maintain that tradition of the best possible quality, I strive to create something that has never been seen before. I constantly must revise to create something new for my current clientele. For instance right now, I am designing pieces for women for 2025. I must always be thinking ahead.
In what ways did growing up near Venice and your early exposure to the beauty of Venetian art and culture influence your design aesthetic and artistic vision?
RC: In the last 10 years, Venice has been a great inspiration to me. I grew up in the countryside outside of Venice but left Italy at the age of 10 to study in Switzerland and went into the hotel industry. But in recent years, I fell back in love with Venice at a later stage in life. Venice has an extraordinary history. Venice is known as the first republic in history, having been founded in the 5th century and enduring for over 1,100 years as an independent republic until its fall in the 18th century. It is known for being a powerful republic/country as it was the center of trade, politics, and culture. It was known for its incredible artisans, painters, sculptors, architects, and scholars. It was also regraded as the “City of the Future.” They say if you save Venice, you can save the world. Every time I visit Venice, I experience something new. The vibrant colors, the street artisans, the intricate facades of the buildings—there’s always something I haven’t noticed before.
Drawing inspiration from the art, architecture, and culture of Venice in your jewelry designs, can you describe any specific pieces or collections that are directly inspired by the city and its iconic landmarks and symbols?
RC: The collections that are most inspired by Venice are Princess Flower Collection and different iterations of the Venetian Princess Collection. Whether it be the original Venetian Princess, the Venetian Princess Pirouette or the Venetian Princess Carnevale. It’s through observation that I created the Palazzo Ducale Collection and the Venetian Princess Collection. For example, the emblems on various palaces inspired my Medallions Collection, while the flowers atop the columns at the Palazzo Ducale sparked the creation of the Venetian Princess, born from my own interpretation of Venetian beauty.
What are some of the most iconic collections or pieces from Roberto Coin, and what makes them stand out in the luxury jewelry market?
RC: Appassionata, Animalier and Venetian Princess are very important collections for me. The hallmark of the Appassionata collection is its soft, flowing shapes that suggest movement and emotion, making the pieces look like they are almost alive. The Animalier collection is distinguished by its dynamic, nature-inspired designs that bring a sense of strength and elegance and is seen as wearable art. The incorporation of animal designs is unique and fashionable. It makes a statement and expresses individuality and power. The one thing people often ask me what is your “favorite” collection or what is your “best” collection. I tell them the best collection ever has not yet been made (as he laughs).
Roberto Coin jewelry has been worn by the likes of Nicole Kidman and Cynthia Erivo on the red carpet. What does it mean to the brand to be worn by these major pop culture figures? How have these relationships helped to shape the future of the Roberto Coin brand?
RC: Well, iconic women love iconic jewelry. While I am very proud to be recognized by these formidable women, I design for all women. I design bold jewelry for bold women. I always wanted to be different. I always want to create something different for all the different women in the world. I meet women at various stages in their life. Some are young women just starting out their lives, other becoming engaged and looking ahead to their futures, others are becoming mothers for the first time and then I meet other clients that are grandmothers. All at different stages and all have different tastes, and their jewelry takes on a different meaning. I follow the personality of the individual and create jewelry for each of them.
The best part of our trip was the masquerade gala that felt like a time warp to a Venice of centuries past. What was your inspiration for this event, and how does it directly tie back to the heritage of the brand and your designs?
RC: The event was initially intended to be a thank you to all my important clients that made Roberto Coin successful. I wanted to create an event that had never been done before. Coming from the hotel industry, I understood service and how important it is to provide the most impeccable to service to clients and create an unforgettable experience for them. In conjunction with my dear friend, I set out to create not a Carnevale event, but the most elegant event I could think of. Because I always strive for perfection, we needed to get the best costumes, performers, music, food, wine, venue etc. to create the most incredible event that Italy has ever seen. I don’t want clients to just wear a piece of jewelry, I wanted to go beyond that and have them experience everything that is Roberto Coin.
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