He remains a jeweler to Middle East royalty. But believe it when Roberto Coin says he is making more affordable styles in the coming seasons.

 

On a visit to Manila last week, his first since 2010, Coin unveiled The Fifth Season, a collection designed under his son Carlo’s supervision, and is made predominantly of silver, coated or plated in silver, gold, ruthenium or rhodium, and combined with leather or enamel, or electroformed for a diamond-cut finish.

 

Electroforming creates an effect where the nubby surface of the design reflects light like it would on a cut precious stone.

 

The wire mesh grille on the Porsche and Ferrari inspired the woven bangles and bracelets, according to Coin.

 

Coin is a former hotelier who launched his company in Vicenza, Italy, in 1977 creating jewelry for the likes of Cartier and Tiffany & Co. He launched his eponymous line only in 1996, and has a perplexing approach to the luxury business.

 

First, he is perhaps among only a few entrepreneurs who aren’t quite enamored with the retail prospects of China. He has over 800 points of sale globally, none of them in China.

 

“Name me one brand that has really made money in China,” he said rhetorically.

 

He pulled up a piece of paper to illustrate his point, drawing with his pen what looked to be an hourglass figure. The top triangle, he said, is the super rich, and the bottom triangle is the poor. The narrow point between the two is the middle class.

 

While the middle class is said to be growing in number, it’s not exactly buying luxury, he said. Instead, the middle class gravitates more toward affordable brands and products.

 

Coin seems to find this to be true in all his markets, thus The Fifth Season collection. Next year, the company will roll out a “much younger” line with a different price point, as he sees potential in this segment.

 

In the Philippines, Roberto Coin is sold exclusively at Rustan’s Silver Vault in Makati and Shangri-La.

 

Smorgasbord approach

 

While Coin showed off a 1930s-style bridal tiara he custom-made for a Qatari princess, he also said the Roberto Coin style catalog increased its offering from the usual 600 models to 1,012 in 2012.

 

Isn’t this smorgasbord approach almost akin to running an H&M, a tack that seems contrary to the business of luxury jewelry?

 

Not at all, he replied. “I like every woman to be different,” he said. “Every woman has a different personality. Everyone has a different taste. I want you pick according to what you feel.”

 

Coin says they will introduce a collection using an “extremely strong” black jade from Africa. Serpent designs will also be predominant in the 2013 collection, next year being the Year of the Snake. Animal themes are a recurrent segment of the Roberto Coin collections.

 

Whatever the price points, one detail remains constant in the jewelry: the piece of ruby incorporated in every piece. The red gem is believed to be a talisman in some cultures, and Roberto Coin has adopted it as a signature.