Gismondi 1754 appoints CEO for America – WWD

Giovanni Mattera has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Gismondi 1754 in America, a sure sign that the nearly three-century-old luxury jewelry brand from Genoa, Italy, is positioning itself for expansion into the western hemisphere.

Based in New York City, Mattera joins a newly created position at Gismondi 1754, a publicly traded, family-run company listed on the Borsa Italiana Stock Exchange in Milan. The brand offers a range of fine and high jewelry.

“Gismondi has had a presence in the United States for seven years, at Neiman Marcus and smaller specialty stores, and most recently at Saks Fifth Avenue. Now we’re trying to further expand our business in America,” Mattera told WWD in an exclusive interview.

In addition to expanding its wholesale business, the company intends to open retail stores in America, possibly including one on Madison Avenue. The company will also work to expand its retail customer business. Massimo Gismondi, the CEO and creative director of Gismondi 1754, has many private clients across the United States that he serves, often with one-of-a-kind pieces. “These are exquisite pieces of jewelry, masterfully made,” said Mattera.

Mattera, a veteran jewelry and fashion executive, most recently served as de Grisogono’s President of North America and previously served as Versace’s North American sales and marketing director. He will also reach out to his customers in the Americas, Canada and the Caribbean to help build the Gismondi business. Mattera has set up an office for Gismondi on 61st Street at Madison Avenue in Manhattan and reports to Francesca Ventura, the commercial director.

Gismondi 1754 has no boutiques in the western hemisphere but operates seven boutiques in Europe, including five in Italy in Genoa, Portofino, Milan, Rome and San Teodoro; one in St Moritz, Switzerland and one in Prague, Czech Republic. The company also operates a website and distributes widely in Europe.

Gismondi dates back seven generations when Giovan Battista Gismondi was born in Genoa in 1754. At the age of nine he learned the art of “silver working” and, with the silversmith’s license, became a supplier to the Doria family and Pope Pius VI. The Gismondi family were silversmiths for generations, making sterling silver crosses, crockery, jewelry and other items for the church.

“Gismondi 1754 has been in America for seven years, where it is not as well known as it could be, but now we are preparing to expand and hire a team of people for this purpose. Gismondi has a unique classic look, but it’s modern and the stones seem to float because of the way they are set.”