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DAMIANI AND THE ROMANOV PRINCESS HAVE MADE TWO COLLECTIONS INSPIRED BY THE TRADITION OF THE TSAR’S TREASURE
December 12, 2016
Images Courtesy of Damiani
Paris, France – Damiani and princess Nicoletta Romanov are the stars of an unusual journey through time, from past to present, starting from the finest Italian goldsmith tradition to arrive in Russia, at the Tsar’s Court and return to Italy through the co-operation with an exceptional descendant of the Russian dynasty.
Princess Nicoletta Romanoff wearing the Fiocco masterpiece
This is the origin of the Fiocco and Fiori d’arancio collections, jewelry inspired by the valuables of the imperial family revealing all the craftsman excellence of the master goldsmiths of Valenza, re-evoking the legendary charm surrounding the Tsar’s treasures.
The renowned actress/princess Nicoletta Romanov is the daughter of Princess Natalja Romanov and granddaughter of Prince Nicola Romanovič Romanov, claimant of the Russian throne from 1992 to 2014. So the actress is a direct descendant of the Tsars Nicolas I of Russia and Paul I of Russia and the famous empress Catherine II of Russia through her mother. The glorious Romanov family was the undisputed dominator of the great imperial Russia for 300 years.
The bow is a recurring motif in the jewelry of the Romanov dynasty, and is a great classic in royal iconography that Damiani has reinterpreted resulting in an elegant, sophisticated collection. The symbol of an eternal bond, the parure Fiocco becomes the perfect gift of love destined to last forever. Necklace, rings, earrings and bracelets enhance woman’s femininity with their sinuous scorpio necklace design. The version with the sophisticated pavé setting of white diamonds, skillfully matched and selected to dress the surfaces, emphasizes the precious nature and timeless charm of white gold. The interpretation of the version in pink gold, now a distinctive feature in Damiani collections, with the outlines illuminated by white diamonds, underlines a sophisticated style with alternative solutions such as the combination with a double bracelet in satin in two-tones taken from the palette of colors, a favorite of the company.
The combination of the bow in pavé is precious and unique, giving the very long pearl necklace various compositions and uses, with a beautiful pendant of a k
The Fiori d’arancio collection is an extraordinary dialogue in which Italian spirit meets the Russian tradition, as happened in 1952 when Nicoletta’s grandfather, Nicolas Romanov, descendant of the Tsars, married Countess Sveva della Gherardesca, successor of the old Tuscan house of Longobard origin.
Nicolas Romanov is the great-nephew of the last Tsar of Russia in a collateral line; Sveva descends from one of the most historic Italian families and one of her ancestors was the famous Count Ugolino, of whose affairs and tragic end Dante wrote a canto about in the Divine Comedy. The brides name derives from Conradin of Swabia, the German emperor who was born in Landshut in 1252 and died in Naples in 1268, of whom Gherardo della Gherardesca was an enthusiastic follower. The Della Gherardesca family traces its origins to Wilfred the Saint, of the Longobard epoch; Sveva’s ancestors include saints, blessed people, cardinals and condottieri. The event was a turning point in the history of the dynasty and marked the start of a new era.
For the wedding ceremony, Sveva della Gherardesca wore a tiara made up of tiny wax orange flowers which adorned her head like a precious bouquet. In Italy, the orange blossom is the flower par excellence for weddings and the reason why Countess Sveva chose this tiara to decorate her hair.
Damiani created the Fiori d’arancio collection, drawing inspiration from this historic and very rare specimen, carefully kept by the granddaughter Nicoletta Romanov. The delicate floral motif is a feature of the whole parure – necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings and tiaras. Masterpieces of fine jewelry that underline the greatest perfection between design and craftsman excellence.
The masterpiece tiara Sveva, so named in honor of Nicoletta’s grandmother, Countess Sveva della Gherardesca, stands out among all the pieces and is the symbol of this project. It features a precious floral pattern which winds around the whole head with skillful craftsmanship, where white gold buds alternate with precious full pavé flowers.
Just as in the masterpieces of Italian Renaissance painting, the admiration for the jewel starts from the overall effect, with its double spiral shape, culminating in the scrutiny of the particulars masterfully wrought in a succession of details taken care of by the great goldsmiths of the present. Weeks of research and more than 6 months of production were required to transform this sophisticated ornament into a masterpiece of fine jewelry. Almost 500 grams of gold in a sophisticated pale pink color and more than 4,500 diamonds selected for clarity and combined by size with 83 white Japanese pearls were used in its creation.
