NEW YORK — After seven generations in the jewelry business, M+M Scognamiglio is bringing its cameos to Manhattan.
Amedeo Scognamiglio, son of Michele Scognamiglio, chairman of the firm that is known for its hand-carved shell cameos, is determined to make them an element of luxury jewelry on a par with diamonds and pearls.
“To me, cameos are the most beautiful creations,” said Scognamiglio, who learned to carve at age 16 for the firm based in Torre del Greco, Italy. “You start from a shell and suddenly you see the face of a woman coming out of it. It’s the last bit of heritage from the Italian Renaissance.”
The 500-square-foot store, called Amedeo, opens today at 968 Lexington Avenue and will offer everything from collars dripping with cameos to rings and earrings with them. Retail prices range from $300 to $30,000. Scognamiglio expects to generate $1 million in the store’s first year in business.
“It’s always been my dream to open a store where I could show exactly what I want, like a museum to have the entire experience,” he said.
Last month, Scognamiglio’s brother, Cristiano, opened a boutique on the Ginza in Tokyo. Sales are projected to hit $3 million by the end of 2007.
Amedeo Scognamiglio brought M+M Scognamiglio to the U.S. in 2002 at Neiman Marcus, where the brand is no longer sold. The company also has a line with Home Shopping Network called Italy Cameo by M+M Scognamiglio, which bowed in 2003. Retail prices for that line range from $100 to $5,000.
Scognamiglio is also the co-founder and designer of Faraone Mennella R.F.M.A.S., a five-year-old gold, diamond and colored-stone jewelry firm based in New York.