Molina & C. - A historical review

 

The 1920s
The origins of Molina & C. date back to1928 when thirteen-year-old Ottavio Molina 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 (more than 50 laboratories with a complete production cycle) 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 & C. with the G.A.M. trademark.

 

The 1970s
At 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 is 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.