Describing himself as “a businessman who fell in love with jewellery and creativity, rather than a designer or creator trying to do business”, Roberto Coin is a whirl of energy, his character as dazzling as the jewellery he designs.
“I’m like a child,” he says. “I fall in love with something new every day, and I’m especially fascinated by what I don’t know but want to learn.”
In 1977, Coin founded his company in Vicenza, Italy’s epicenter for gold and jewellery production, known as the City of Gold. A newcomer to the trade, he was quick to learn the ropes and was soon supplying the prestigious and well established jewellery brands of the day.
HIT PARADE
In 1996, Roberto Coin went one step further and launched his own brand. An almost instant success, it was listed in the top ten of the best known brands in the United States within just four years. A few years later, it ranked among the top three on the international scene and number one in Italy.
HIDDEN RUBY
It all started with the Appassionata Collection of woven gold, each piece set with a hidden ruby in direct skin contact with the wearer. Some fifteen years later, as many as 600 new designs are produced annually. Coin says he has “every women in mind” and that he trusts and has continuously relied on “the intelligence of women” who choose his pieces because of their design and quality, and not because they are visibly branded; hence his discreet signature use of a 0.3 carat ruby, a stone imbued in legend with magic powers.
The face of Roberto Coin jewellery is fashion icon Christy Turlington Burns, and Coin’s collaboration with the supermodel turned entrepreneur and activist benefitted charities YouthAIDS and CARE, successively allocated the model’s fees for Roberto Coin campaigns.
The key to his own success, Roberto Coin states without hesitation, is “being myself, being real” and he says he strongly believes “boredom is the killer of life”. According to him, there is always something to go aim for. No half measures or compromise for Coin, but living proof that, try hard enough, and dreams can indeed come true.
