Many times we have been listening to speeches of pseudo-characters claiming to be connoisseurs of watch-making, ready to judge and give advices. And many times, while listening to them, we got goose pumps, we hardly kept from laughing and we had to turn our head away not to argue with someone who actually, of this our extraordinary and complex world, didn’t really know anything.
Yet, this is only one of the many sides of the coin that the watch-making shows us.

The truth is that, whether you like it or not, we all keep considering the watch a precious, necessary, characteristic and fun object and, when it is on the wrist, absolutely unique. We are fans of it, we study its characteristics, we look for it on internet and in the window shops of the jewelleries, to admire it thousand times afterwards, up until the moment when we finally buy it to wear it, sure of making the right choice. If we really make it to buy a unique item that guarantees quality, aesthetics, tradition and good price, then we make it to reach the optimum. Obviously, to do this one needs to stand out from the crowd, and to walk away from the typical expert…
This is what we will try to do on the pages of Luxgallery: to find out together which are the most interesting watches, the events concerning them, the watch-makers, the watch-sellers and, obviously, the buyers. We will try to understand, together, some of the fundamental “why” and “how”, so to turn, very simply, the dream into passion.

Paolo Gobbi
Italian version

The concept of this humanitarian action was born from the LOVE bracelet , for over forty years universal symbol of love, and from the idea to extend this feeling from the private sphere of love to the boundary-less sphere of love for others.

Within this project, Cartier created the new bracelet LOVE CHARITY that will be on sale from 11th June – subject to availability – for 580 euro, 145 of which will be given to UNICEF and to its humanitarian initiatives to the benefit of the children of Sudan.

The jewel is constituted by a pink gold and diamond ring, paved on white silk drawstring to know around the wrist as a symbol of love tie. The colours represent the sensitiveness of love and the innocence of the childhood.

The UNICEF project in Southern Sudan, that Cartier has been supporting for three consecutive years, faces one of the most dramatic situations in the African continent; situation that involves especially children who, among war disruptions, epidemics, malnutrition and abandonment, live in a precarious and unstable predicament.

To adequately promote the charity sale and make the outcome even more effective, Cartier will welcome in each boutique celebrities from the world of sport, cinema, show-business and music that will be for a day exceptional sellers of the bracelet LOVE CHARITY: testimonials of the love for humankind.

Italian version

To welcome us Federico and Giacomo Schreiber – the founder Franco’s son and nephew – who create with passion the characteristic Schreiber jewels on the scene for over half a century.
The jewellery shop is located at the centre of the fashion quadrilateral, considered the meeting point by the citizens of Milan for over sixty years.
Since 1948 the goldsmith has been considered a compulsory destination for the fans of fine objects.
The striking elements are the simple and neat lines of the jewels taking up the typical shape of a Daisy, that in many different variants and materials has embellished the most elegant ladies of Milan, and the necklaces made of gold or precious stones and with an essential design.

Each item is taken care of in details through a craftsmanship that the family itself follow in its passage, from the search for the stones to the design up until rigging and the final product. Each jewel is a world per sè with its own history, so to make its selection special, be it a small pendant, or a sapphires and diamonds necklace.

Federico Schreiber told Luxgallery the history of the jewellery shop.
My father, Franco Schreiber born in 1921 in Brescia, where my grandfather used to successfully run the shop in Corso Zanardelli. Engineering student, due to the war he was forced to join up as artillerist and leave to Albania. When the war ended he came back to Italy and got married in Milan and opened a jewellery laboratory in the very central street of San Pietro all’ Orto. In 1948 was inaugurated in Milan the complex of the Manzoni Gallery. There the laboratory became a shop.
It was the salon of Milan that was later stormed by big companies. Here we keep producing jewellery following the same criteria that made us popular among our clients.

How do you create the jewels?
We buy the stones and we design the jewels on the basis of the shape of the stones, giving birth to unique pieces. We do not have collections: we consider what the gem allows us to create. We also create jewels according to the taste of our clients: we have, in fact, faithful and niche customers who love quality and beauty. Our strength is not our logo but the quality.

What characterizes your production?
The daisy is the most popular shape of our production. As for the rest, we create jewels with very linear shapes. The lines are neat and practical: we search, in fact, for the utility of each item which thought of to be worn. They are creations to be easily worn. One needs to wear them, not to leave them in the drawer.
All we sell comes from our hands. They are endless products, never old-fashioned, always modern.
The necklaces are either made of gold or precious stones – we do not use semi-precious stones – or of a transparent glaze applied to the jewels. Thanks to the glaze you can see the gold as you would see it through the windows of a cathedral. We make large use of pink, light blue and yellow sapphires.

How do you face the current time characterized by both the economic crisis and the new communication channels like Internet?
We are making our first steps in internet: we created a website to communicate. As for the crisis, we perceive it as all the other sectors, but we go on with our mission. There was a change in the purchase of jewellery over the last years. Now men purchase less for their women and women less for themselves. Earlier, jewels were considered an accessorize. There was a different purchase allowance.

What would you be if you were not a jeweller?
I would have loved to design cars.

Projects for the future?
We want to stay what we are

Caterina Varpi

Italian version

Numerous are the news on the way, the most important is Gem World, the gems’ show, moving from Rimini to Vicenza, carrying forward the brand and the image. On the other side, the Riviera Romagnola will host the debut of Energy Planet, the exhibition on energy, renewable energies, domotics, construction industry for energy saving and building automation organized since 2007 in Vicenza. The agreement perfectly suits a careful policy of districts and specializations. The precious stones show is in fact in perfect harmony with the glamour of Glamroom and the fashion allure that has always characterized jewellery events organized by the Vicenza Fair.

Glamroom too comes back, an expositive project of the Architecture Studio Cibic&Partners. Protagonists are fashion and jewels. In collaboration with the Italian National Fashion Chamber , the space hosts high-costume-jewellery realized with alternative materials, to be found in the coolest stores of world capitals. At the Glamroom it’s possible to find on show refined products of the cosmopolitan world where the new consumer live: well-educated, demanding, careful to details and to fashion trends.

Among the brands taking part to this edition of Charm, Calgaro, Roberto Coin and Zydo.

Italian version

The watch features hi-tech materials, always a peculiar characteristic of Locman’s world. As for the parts in contact with the skin, there are totally hypoallergenic materials: titanium (used also in medicine as it is absolutely bio-compatible) for the bottom plate and transpiring rubber for the watch band. Endowed with scratch-proof glass, the watch is water-proof up to five atmospheres.

Italian version 

Watchmakers and jewelers realize every single step, from the beginning to the end, by hand, and a particular care for details

It takes at least one year of work to realize a Harry Winston timepiece. From the first to the last step, watchmakers and jewelers do everything by hand, thus devoting extreme care to search for details and attention to every particular aspect. Not just simple jewel but a real piece of craftwork where tradition and innovation are blended into one. Each piece is an expression of the original will: complex timepieces whose technical performance is combined with aesthetic innovation.

Completely different from others, the timepieces belonging to Harry Winston’s tradition inherit the craftsmanship of jewelry-making and the constant search for perfection which inspired the founder, Ronald Winston. Harry Winston, son of the famous jeweler, has earned the nickname ‘the king of diamonds’ because of his expertise in precious gems and his creativity in designing jewelry; he is a ‘scientist’ of this business and he is relentlessly committed to finding new precious alloys and new lines through observation and design.

Harry Winston Maison speaks to two market sectors: watches and jewelry for women and men, the latter being famous for their highly technological content and technical applications. By respecting the purest Swiss watchmakers’ tradition, Harry Winston distinguishes itself through cutting-edge technical research.

From 1989 to present day, the concept has not changed, despite steady experimentation. About 20 years have passed by since Ronald Winston launched his first series of watches. Named ‘Galatea’, the collection brought to the market the first watch ever made of rhodium, round dial with Swiss movement and an articulated watch strap, which made it a real piece of jewelry. The following series also feature the same elegant traits as well as the quest for elevated expression. Watches, which came about some 80 years after jewelry, are an extension of the brand whose signature is in any case self-evident in the elegant design and unique precious gems. A watch from ‘Signature’ collection, for example, is a real work of art. The watch strap, which comes in three versions, yellow gold, white gold or platinum, is made of meshes that are carved and mounted by hand. The result is a mesh with waving light effects which naturally wrap around the wrist like a second layer of skin.

There are two options for the dial: square and round. Watches from Premier collection have an unmistakeable distinctive design feature: the clasps of the watch strap, in the shape of a bow, are inspired by the neo-classic vault decorating the façade of Harry Winston’s boutique on Fifth Avenue. Indeed, ‘Avenue’ is the name which inspired another collection which refers to two of the most prestigious addresses worldwide: Fifth Avenue and Avenue Montagne, namely the location of Harry Winston’s boutiques in New York and Paris. On the occasion of this collection dedicated to women, Harry Winston has crafted its very first rectangular watch. Through the first scuba dive, platinum-made watches, Harry Winston confirms its pioneering vocation. As always, the focus on the technical performance is as high as on aesthetics. Waterproof to ten atmospheres (100m), the mechanism and assembly of these watches requires absolute precision. It is again by Harry Winston the creation of the first ‘Biretrograde’ watch in 1999, a unique piece of jewelry whose fully craftsmanship-based creation took as many as 14 months. The same concept also inspired the ‘Biretrosecond’ model, an exceptional timepiece, which combines a sporty line with valuable materials. Despite its upscale products, Harry Winston Maison sells almost three thousands pieces in its 70 stores scattered throughout the world. A good result which, once again, rewards remaining loyal to an inning idea. As a matter of fact, extending the target group through a wider range of products has meant, to Henry Winston, being loyal to its company’s vision which speaks to an audience of connoisseurs. Conversely, one should also admit that one does not need to be an expert to become delighted with these pieces of jewelry that are real works of art.