"Craftsmanship is at the heart of our company," claims Laura Bicego, the woman behind the popular Italian jewelry, Nanis, based in Italy's capital of gold, Vicenza.
Along with passion, artistic integrity and sentimental significance, Bicego also takes pride in her talented artisans who have been making precious handmade jewelry for more than three decades. She explains that each piece of Nanis jewelry is a unique expression of the beauty and elegance of her hometown, adding a touch of femininity and character to it.
Bicego has breathed the world of jewelry since she was a child, having been born into a family of jewelers from Vicenza, where she spent her childhood and adolescence at her father's goldsmith company, closely seeing every aspect of jewelry production.
After completing her studies, she officially worked for her father. However, Bicego felt a calling to "free jewelry" from its conventional confines. In 1990, Bicego and her husband Piero Marangon founded Nanis Italian Jewels. Nanis, named after a little girl the couple met in one of their visits in Haiti, aims to combine family legacy with Bicego's desire to create jewels that define a contemporary woman.
"I stopped working in my father's business because I had my own idea of designing jewelries," she shares. "My father was more traditional, but he made me fall in love with the craft — the fact that gold can be like a glass that you can shape and transform into something beautiful and sparkling. It's like a canvas. It's fantastic. But I have my own idea of jewelry. I've always loved things that are changing and very functional. Versatility in my pieces has always been one of my aims."
True enough, Bicego isn't satisfied with creating a mere necklace, bracelet, ring, or earring.
Nanis has been known for its convertible creations — a necklace that deconstructs into a bracelet or an earring that can also be worn reversed for a completely different, chic look.
Rendered in 18-karat yellow gold with signature hand-engraved gold beads, Nanis has a line of necklaces in which each bead is connected to the next by a row of white diamonds. The necklace can be transformed into a long version, wrapped short version, a Y-necklace or deconstructed into a short necklace with bracelets.
To complement the look, Nanis has also made drop earrings either peppered with diamonds or gemstones and an open cocktail ring that wraps around the finger, as well as a statement cuff and an ear climber earring that gives the look of multiple piercings from four separate gold beads.
"I've been doing this for 30 years and the reverse collections are still my bestsellers," Bicego says. "That's high level of craftsmanship. With simple twists here and there, the pieces of jewelry transform into something new and more wearable."
She adds: "Creativity is not a problem for me. I think I have too much of it. When I do a project, I tend to do it excessively because I'm always thinking of something unique and different. I really love to play with designs. Ever since I started the company with my husband, I am more on the creative side; he is more on the production aspect. And we used to fight a lot because we have two different mentalities, ideas and approaches. We have three children."
First in the Philippines
Nanis exquisite pieces of jewelry are available in 46 countries around the globe. And now, the Philippines is fortunate enough to be the 47th as it recently opened at Rustan's Silver Vault, noted for showcasing the finest jewelry brands from around the world.
"This is my first venture and my first time in the Philippines," she says. "I am super impressed with the market and the people here."
Filipinos can now get a glimpse and taste of this luxurious and iconic hand-engraved jewelry. The breathtaking array of jewelry collections with Nanis' distinctive aesthetic are displayed beautifully at Silver Vault, with each piece reflecting Bicego's passion, tradition and desired look for the sophisticated contemporary woman.
