Lugano Diamonds Is Heading to London
● Lugano Diamonds will open its first international salon in April, in the Albemarle Street town house formerly occupied by Amanda Wakeley.
LONDON — Lugano Diamonds is opening its first international outpost, a salon in London's Mayfair. The salon, which is set to open on April 22, spans 3,600 square feet and will take over the town house space formerly occupied by Amanda Wakeley at 18 Albemarle Street.
Lugano, which is headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif., is a designer, manufacturer and marketer of high-end, one-of-a-kind jewelry.
It operates from a string of salons in high-net-worth U.S. locations such as Aspen; Palm Beach, Fla., and Greenwich, Conn. The London salon will be Lugano's eighth in total, and its first outside the U.S.
Lugano is taking over the basement, ground, and first floors of the Albemarle Street town house, with the interior design overseen by chief operating officer and cofounder Idit Ferder. She is the wife of Moti Ferder, chief executive officer and cofounder of Lugano.
The interiors will feature custom wood flooring, a light sculpture by Andreea Braescu, furniture by Ceccotti Collezioni and Porada, and artwork by Jorge Pardo, Nihura Montiel and Yinka Shonibare.
To mark the London opening, the company has partnered with some very British institutions.
It plans to partner with the Serpentine Gallery; the Royal Windsor Horse Show; Royal Windsor Polo, and the Global Champions Tour, which will be in London in August. The company said it is “looking forward to connecting with more London-based charities in the future.”
In a further gesture to its jet-setting customers, Lugano also plans to install a temporary lounge at Farnborough Airport in Hampshire, England at the end of April.
Moti Ferder said London “provides boundless inspiration and opportunities to build our community, forge new relationships, and create social impact through our philanthropic initiatives.”
The Mayfair opening, he added, is a milestone for Lugano, while the British capital and Europe are full of potential for the jeweler's “future growth and success.”
The company already has myriad partnerships in the U.S. It recently revealed a $2.5 million gift to the newly reopened Orange County Museum of
Art to provide general admission to the public for the next 10 years.
Separately, on Monday, Compass Diversified, which owns Lugano, plans to reveal the appointment of Josh Gaynor in the newly created role of president.
Gaynor, who is managing director of Bulgari high jewelry North America and Canada, will work closely with Moti Ferder and the executive team, Lugano said.
Lugano Diamonds was founded by Moti and Idit Ferder in 2004. The Ferder family was in the rough diamond business for decades in Antwerp before moving to the U.S., and into retail.