Bottega Veneta goes for gold

Bottega Veneta is on the fast track with expected annual sales of $238.7 million (£136.6 million). It appears it will make the deadline parent company Gucci Group set for it six months early.

Once a minor brand, Bottega Veneta is now surging forward with the introduction of a new fine jewellery line. Since 2002, the Milan-based fashion and accessories house has launched tableware, furniture and costume jewellery.

The fine jewellery collection debuted on the fall 2006 catwalks. Creative director Tomas Maier paired the yellow and white gold and diamond pavé pieces with chiffon dressed in black and chocolate brown. The pieces are all handmade in Maier's hometown of Pforzhein in Germany. Craftsmen take five days to create one necklace, according to WWD. This has to do with the house's signature woven or "intreccio" look, which requires hand-spinning the gold fibre to create braided pieces which are then used to make links in a chain. Finally the pieces are tumbled for 48 hours to achieve an antique finish.

"This isn't the kind of jewellery you can do in-house," Maier told WWD. "We did look around Italy (for a manufacturer), but didn't find the one-of-a-kind quality we were looking for, and that is what Bottega Veneta is associated with."

He added that each piece of jewellery is unique because each chain link is irregular.

"For me, there is no time limit in the making of jewellery," he said. "Whatever it takes is good, and that's what our clients really appreciate."

The initial collection includes necklaces and chain-link bracelets, but Maier said that the present offering will be expanded. "For the show, I wanted to convey a very precise message, but in the future, I will certainly add fancy diamonds and coloured stones," he said.

Maier also has plans to include earrings, rings, and bangles in collection. Prices range from $20,000 for a gold bracelet to $108,000 for a long necklace with pave diamonds.

The sale of the jewellery collection will be limited to the flagship stores in Milan, New York and Tokyo.