Molina: a jewelers family (the historical review)
The 1920s
The origins of Molina company date back to 1928 when thirteen-year-old
Ottavio Molina - the Davide's father - was introduced to the goldsmith business by his brother
Ernesto, a skilled jewellery setter sought after by the leading companies
in the sector.
The 1940s
Backed by this training, in 1948 Ottavio Molina started
his own business, founding the company bearing his own name. This
was the first goldsmith firm to start its business at San Salvatore
and today this town in the Valenza district has the second largest
(second only to Valenza) number of goldsmith businesses and residents employed
in the sector.
The 319AL
factory trademark that we use to stamp all our products is one of
the oldest still in use.
The 1950s
In the 1950s the Molina company trained the most skilful goldsmiths, who
became the founding members of the most prominent companies.
Production in
those years basically consisted of rings, earrings and brooches without
precious stones (called the "plain gold" line in
the Molina catalogue which is a direct offshoot of this creative effort).
Ottavio Molina
recognised the importance of the foreign market that was just beginning
to get involved with Italy. Such intuition led him to become one of
the first exporters (after having visited a large number of the major
cities in the American continent in 1955-56 and having acquired first-hand
knowledge about the distribution in countries such as the USA, Canada,
Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, etc.) through the foundation, in 1957,
together with Aldo Garavelli and Pietro Annaratone, of G.A.M., the
first sales company of its kind geared to reach the main foreign markets
and to deal with the complicated bureaucracy that prevented small
firms from exporting at that time.
The 1960s
The period from the end of the 1950s to the end of the 1960s was packed with
records: participation in the New York Show, creation of a large colour
catalogue with hundreds of photographs (updated every year and distributed
- in thousands of copies - to all Italian consulates and foreign offices
scattered around the world), participation in the Frankfurt Fair and
the opening of a permanent office on Fifth Avenue in New York are
only some of what, at that time, were absolutely innovative business
operations being carried out by a leading staff.
Today, there are many foreign jewellers who still identify Molina
with the G.A.M. trademark.
The 1970s
the beginning of the 1970s, it became easier to export and even the
smaller companies could get involved without having to make large
investments in the global market.
After the break-up of G.A.M., the Molina Ottavio company became Molina
& C. and the founding member was joined by his nephews Fernando
Molina and Alberto Angeretti.
Production quality underwent a transformation at the end of the 1970s
and the beginning of the 1980s: the demand by the markets, following
a period in which the price of raw materials increased significantly,
was shifting toward quality jewels with precious stones and diamonds.
The 1980s
The 1980s was the company’s most dynamic period - a real boom for
the jewellery trade and the made in Italy sector: new markets continue
to crop up (Asia, Middle East, Europe, emerging countries in Latin
America) and efforts are made to consolidate the company’s contacts
by meeting the main buyers "at the site" and participating
in the main trade fairs around the world.
The 1990s
The beginning of the 1990s marks the gradual retirement of the company’s
founding member Ottavio, who was replaced by his son Davide.
The market crisis following the Gulf War (1991), with the dollar exchange
rate at a historical low (1,100 liras versus the 2,000 of the super
dollar at the beginning of the 1980s), again leads to a sudden change:
the rapid decline in the demand for high-value jewellery forces the
company to make quick adjustments to its production strategies.
With a significant reduction in the demand for high-value jewellery,
production switched its attention to the medium-segment pieces, while
maintaining outstanding quality: in this new scenario the experience
acquired in producing jewellery with high added value during the 1980s
certainly played an important role, making it possible to create jewellery
to meet the demand as far as costs were concerned but always with
very high quality.
With its 1999 collection, Molina & C., traditionally involved
with the classic models and the exclusive use of diamonds and precious
stones, greets the new millennium with what are truly ultramodern
styles based on bold designs and the use of materials such as hard
or semi-precious stones combined with excellent-quality diamonds.
Year 2000 and the "Davide Molina srl" company birth
On dec 2000, after 25 years, the partners of the Molina & C. decided to stop
the activities
At the same time Davide Molina - together with his wife Claudia - created a new
company named "Davide Molina srl", acquiring all the Molina & C.
skilled workers & the whole depot of the historical Molina jewellery moulds,
usefull to reproduce the complete collection since the 1948.
The major markets where our production is distributed are:
- USA and the whole American continent;
- EU domestic markets;
- Japan & far east;
- African countries.
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