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OH COME LET US ADORN HER (AND HIM): ROBERTO COIN, APPEARING AT NEIMAN MARCUS SAN ANTONIO FRIDAY 12/12, GIVES RARE INTERVIEW

It’s time to light up the night, and day, too, in 2015. With the stunning Roberto Coin jewelry, there’s something for everyone. Love yellow gold? Check. Crazy about white gold? Done. Want over-the-top faceted stones? Yep. In the mood for a classic, estate feel with a modern twist? Roberto Coin is about that, too. In fact, Roberto Coin is a master of originality for all tastes.

I recently caught up with Coin by phone while he was in Panama City. The man gets around. In fact, he’ll be gracing the Neiman Marcus San Antonio store on Friday, 12/12 from 1-4 PM in the Precious Jewels Salon where his Texas fan base is legion and vast.

When we chatted about what makes Roberto Coin tick, I learned that the master jeweler is a dynamic personality who is keenly aware of his own style and that of his clientele who inspire him daily. “You don’t go to school to learn creativity,” he confides. “It is God-given. I have a love for everything… a love for life, animals, and being curious about the fashion industry. Creativity takes a talent to see how the woman of the future can be graced (with my jewelry).”

He says that since all women are different, they indeed dress differently. “We have a huge variety of product for every woman.” In fact, they just can’t resist him.

Coin states that he looks to the past all the time for inspiration, too. Perhaps that’s steeped in his Italian heritage. One interesting observation he told me was, “Children love what their grandmother and great grandmother had… instead of what their mother may have.”

When asked about The Roberto Coin Woman, and correlatively, The Roberto Coin Woman in Texas, he muses, “You show me the lady, I’ll see her personality and I can know how to dress her – from clothes to jewelry, and beyond.” He feels that while all women are special, he is drawn to the Jackie-O types of style. “Style is not based on price, it is based on class.” He goes on to say, “When I make special pieces for my Texas clientele, for instance, one woman who has a ranch will differ in taste from another ranch owner. To me, it’s about the individual.”

When asked about current trends, his resolve is, “I love to fall in love with the future” and admits that diamonds are his #1 seller. “We have a chain of hundred-faceted diamonds.” Plus, he loves precious stones like emeralds. It is interesting to note that Coin is an astute observer of people. He told me he started is career as a hotelier which means that his customer service is tantamount. In fact, in 1977 at the age of 33 Coin founded the company that would bear his name in Vicenza, the city of Gold. Initially, the company was intended for production on behalf of some of the most prestigious brands of international fine jewelry before the Roberto Coin brand was launched in 1996.

With his brand available in 63 countries at over 1000 points of sale, Coin has positioned itself seventh amongst the best-known jewelry brands in the United States. The headquarters are in Vicenza, Italy and is assisted by foreign branches as well as by Roberto Coin Inc. on Fifth Avenue in New York City. And, of course at the glam Neiman Marcus stores everywhere.

For information on the event at the Neiman Marcus San Antonio store on Friday, 12/12 from 1-4 PM in the Precious Jewels Salon, call 210.694.3577

(Photo: Roberto Coin)