‘Gold is back,’ says Roberto Coin

Jewelry trends come and go, but gold is eternal.

The queen of all precious metals is back, according to Roberto Coin, if she ever really left.

The Italian jeweler was recently in Manila to launch six of his latest collections, and his presence was a rare and significant occurrence: out of the 200-plus events the brand mounts every year Coin attends only seven, and ours was one of the lucky ones he chose.

“He loves the Philippines so much,” explains Roberto Coin associate merchandise manager (fine jewelry division) Crystal Callano.

You might think that Coin, whose jewelry has been worn by A-list celebrities ranging from Madonna to Sharon Stone to former brand ambassador Christy Turlington, would have nothing left to prove, but at 71 the jeweler is as dynamic as ever.

“I’m not a designer, I’m a creator,” he is quick to point out. “I’m most passionate about creativity. I’m very much a businessman who loves fashion, loves jewelry.”

Coin, who used to be a manufacturer for the world’s top jewelry houses, founded his eponymous brand in 1996 and distinguished himself right away with unique jewels like the Cento diamond. Whereas a regular brilliant-cut diamond typically has 58 facets, the Cento, true to its name, boasts double that amount, making it doubly difficult and doubly lengthy to cut.

“I’m a good mathematician so I created the Cento diamond to have something nobody else has,” Coin says. “There is no better cut in world which gives more light than our Cento diamond.”

He says you need high-quality rough diamonds to achieve the Cento cut. Done by hand, only four or five percent of the best cutters in Antwerp, Belgium, can do it, and “if you make a mistake, you have a problem.”

The diamonds that do make it are highlighted in the blindingly brilliant solitaires of the Cento Bridal collection, as well as show-stopping pieces like a necklace that resembles the “Heart of the Ocean” from the movie Titanic.

“It’s not blue sapphire but tanzanite,” Coin explains. “Blue is in fashion and not many people can afford blue sapphire. This one doesn’t cost a fortune.”

Getting back to gold, another Roberto Coin hallmark is reproducing ancient methods of working gold in a modern, high-tech manner. As an example, Coin shows me a gold bangle from the Princess collection, paved with tiny diamonds on one side while the other is crosshatched with fine lines.

“In the 1930s they couldn’t do a satin finish like this,” he says. “Using a modern technique we created a skeleton which is lighter, stronger than what we were capable of before. The only way to do it is to carve the gold by hand. The problem is if you make a mistake, you have to start again and it takes half a day.”

He also notes that 1950s television screens inspired the bangle’s unusual shape: “Why did we make a television shape? Because it doesn’t turn (on your wrist). Normally bangles turn, so this way you always have the diamond (side) up.” Further proof of the ingenuity and thought behind Roberto Coin designs.

His other fall/winter 2015 collections include the Animalier and Garden lines, which feature colorful gems in whimsical designs like birds, fish and flower bouquets; Black Jade, in which the ebony jade is mixed with green agate in graphic, modern shapes; Tanaquilla, which takes inspiration from Etruscan jewelry; and New Barocco, which features another gold technique exclusive to Roberto Coin — twisted wirework that makes the necklaces and bracelets as soft and flexible as a second skin: “You cannot see any soldering. It’s very difficult to do and nobody else can; only we offer this. The Romans and Greeks used to do it but we do it the same way with technology.”

He uses a similar technology in his Primavera collection — stretchy gold pieces at entry-level prices that make them the ideal gateway for millennials to get into the brand.

Every piece boasts the Roberto Coin signature: a tiny ruby inserted inside the bauble so it touches the skin of the wearer. “The Egyptians thought the only positive stone in the world was the ruby and they loved to give to their wives,” Coin says. “It’s supposed to bring good luck, fortune, prosperity and good health to the wearer.”

And so it has, as thousands of customers have written him letters testifying to the power of the ruby and his jewelry.

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Roberto Coin is exclusively available at Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Shangri-La, Rustan’s Cebu and Newport Mall, Resorts World.

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