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EXPORTS ARE THE KEY TO GROWTH FOR THE ORIGINALITY AND CREATIVE FLAIR OF ARMIDA GIOIELLI
Craftsmanship. In the world of the goldsmith’s art, this term is generally combined with the concepts of authenticity and originality, and amply describes a company such as Armida Gioielli. It is still a young business, only established in 2009, but its prospects for growth are excellent, especially on the foreign markets. We asked Barbara Polvora, the proprietor and driving force behind this venture, what she thought were the strengths of her business, the prospects for the future, and how important it was to move into foreign markets.
Barbara Polvora, what lies behind the growth of your company?
Our strongest point is undoubtedly our craftsmanship, which makes our products unique and suitable for a select clientele. We use a particular technique, the lost wax process, revived from the distant past (indeed it was first used in the Bronze Age - editor’s note) and have brought it back to design modern, up-to-date jewellery.
Who is a typical client for Armida Gioielli?
The typical client is generally the final user of our product, in effect the person who buys the item of jewellery either to wear it or give it away. We are just a small company, employing a total of ten people, so for us - up till now - it has seemed natural to go directly to the customer without using intermediaries, at least on the Italian market. The typical Armida client is someone quite demanding, who doesn’t buy “standardized” products. We only use pure silver, which is our guarantee of absolute quality.
How do you move forward on the foreign markets?
We have a number of intermediaries, essentially brokers, who help us to operate in the foreign markets. In particular, we have received requests from Germany, the USA, China and Russia, and we think that these are currently the markets to focus on.
Among the markets you have listed, is there a particular one you think offers the greatest potential?
Generally, I would say China. Apart from anything else, China is the market we are focusing most attention on. We have a broker on the spot who promotes our presence in the market, and whom we hear from frequently. This is the most established presence we have abroad, because we only use occasional intermediaries for the other markets.
How do you organize sales of jewellery abroad?
Our intermediary informs us that a purchaser is interested and we immediately dispatch the item by courier. The article is sent to the intermediary who then delivers it to the customer.
How do you see the future for Armida? To tell the truth, the future doesn’t look particular rosy for small businesses like mine. They are often swallowed up by large commercial concerns which are also managing to standardize taste. But I have a lot of faith in the foreign markets, which offer a great opportunity. An activity which I consider very important is participation in trade fairs, but it is important on these occasions to manage to “work the system”, to ensure that as a small business you get noticed. What is vital at these events is visibility, and one has to aim for this in every way possible.
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