I discovered the amazing artist & jewelry designer Annamaria Cammilli at an international jewelry show in Las Vegas recently. It’s a really cool annual event and literally thousands of designers from all around the world are there with the most incredible exhibits of diamonds, gems & jewelry! You’ve got jewelry designers from Italy, Israel, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Australia, France, Hong Kong — and of course U.S. manufacturers as well.
There are booths showing finished jewelry, loose gemstones and diamonds, gold & platinum chains, vintage jewelry – from the basic looks to jewelry you’d expect to see on the neck or hand of a queen! This show is only open to people in the jewelry trade for wholesale buying so the public is not invited. You can only imagine the high security in a place where literally billions of dollars are concentrated into one convention center.
I attended the show this year in search of some unique designers and was looking for people I’ve never seen or met before. Now that I’ve transitioned my business from retail to being a Private Gemologist, I want to be able to offer something really unique and special to my clients they would not ordinarily see in any typical jewelry store.
Designers and manufacturers were sectioned by category. At some of the booths you walk by, there may be something intriguing about the jewelry, but after being in the business for so long, even though I can see the beauty in their pieces, my discernment tells me maybe it’s not as unique or as extraordinary as what would attract me to engage with them more…so I move on.
It was when I was perusing the Luxury section of the show, I came upon Annamaria Cammilli’s booth, and I was completely in awe and literally blown away! There was something radiating from those showcases and it wasn’t just the diamonds dancing under the great lighting. The designs were so captivating, the gold was so vivid, and the energy was so amazing! Even my fiancé Dan who’s not in the jewelry business, was incredibly intrigued by it as well. We were both so immediately drawn into this booth.
The designs are not only unique, they’re nature inspired, but not in the traditional way where you’d see leaves and flowers in the design. It’s nothing like that. It’s the motion of it, the curves of it. There’s something that’s very natural about it. They have a process they’ve patented where they actually create different colors of gold. Whatever process they use is very proprietary, so they’re not going to disclose that, but it’s not your typical yellow gold, white gold, and rose gold colors.
They had pink gold, peach gold, sunshine yellow gold, gray gold, and black gold. They also have a unique finish. The edges are highly polished, contrasted with a very refined sandblasted, silky looking finish. It’s just simply gorgeous. It was extraordinary how they had it all laid out and displayed so attractively that it just kind of led your eye from one display to the next.
And so we walked over to engage them in conversation because we needed to find out more about this designer. Annamaria Cammilli herself was not there, but we spoke with her representatives from Florence and here in the U.S.
We soon learned of her story and how she had gotten into the jewelry business. It’s a very intriguing story about an empowered woman, an artist, who was pulled into her husband’s family business. She really didn’t know anything about jewelry. She started creating floral designs. People would go to the jewelry store to buy those floral designs, that’s how beautiful they were.
And when her husband died unexpectedly, she needed to figure out how to raise her two children, continue to do her art, and manage the two boutique jewelry stores to make money to support her family. And that’s when she got the design inspiration during a thunderstorm. She was sheltering herself from the rain and began noticing the detail in a beautiful bronze sculpture in the plaza. She realized she could carve her art inspirations into her designs and make them into a unique jewelry pieces.
So fast forward, Annamaria Cammilli is now a 40 year old company, who has a very large international presence in Europe, Asia and Canada but the United States is the newest of their markets so they are looking to expand their business here. When I told her team about my business as a Private Gemologist, they were intrigued to work with me to co-host a trunk show so they can launch their designs in the Midwest.
They’ll bring their current jewelry line from Italy, along with some special pieces they’ve created for their 40th anniversary limited edition line, and so we’ll do a very private upscale, by invitation only VIP event where they can showcase these beautiful and unique designs.
Typically, this designer has only worked with jewelry stores. I’m definitely a nontraditional type of jewelry business who works with private clients and because they’re just launching in this area, they’re intrigued with working with someone like me. The timing was perfect for both of us!
To host the event, I’ve also partnered Wildcat Creek Farm which is an upscale barn venue which has a couple different beautiful areas on their property. A representative from Annamarie Cammilli flew in recently from Italy. He and I went over to Wildcat Creek Farm to meet with the owner Brenda to have a look at the different areas within the venue to brainstorm on how best to host this event.
You enter Wildcat Creek Farm through a magical walk through the woods, on a lighted pathway and over a bridge. This is a special place wonderfully cared for by Brenda and her team. This is an Italian themed event because of the designer is from Florence so the appetizers and beverages will reflect that region.
What is unique about a trunk show is that you get to meet and network with other interesting people and see most everything from the designer’s line. For example, when you walk into a jewelry store, they only have a few pieces from the jewelry line, so you can’t possibly see a full representation.
At this particular trunk show, not only do my guests get to see hundreds of pieces, but they also get to try on the different unique colors of gold against their skin to see what looks best. While you may think you love rose gold, you may find the peach gold or golden yellow gold looks better against your skin.
The best thing is you can order any of her designs in any color combination you desire. Your piece is made for you as a custom order and shipped directly from Florence in the most beautiful packaging imaginable which is a box made of Tuscan stone. That night, the designer has even authorized special pricing…which is very special indeed.
It’s going to be an evening of “casual luxury” where nobody is under pressure to purchase anything. If they love something, then they should have it. I think everyone will have a fun experience and love the ambiance, the hosts, the food and beverage, and whether you buy jewelry or not, I know everyone will LOVE the jewelry.
If you are in the Milwaukee area, I’d love to have you join us with your significant other or some friends. If you’re not in Milwaukee, you can still have access to the jewelry pieces to special order and take advantage of the special trunk show pricing.
Click HERE for more information. Contact Kat to register for the event and be added to the guest list.
