1. Giuzi. A name with a slightly vintage feel. How did the project come about and why did you choose this name?
It all started inside a company that produces jewelry, our large laboratory, with tools, machines and many skilled hands that have been assembling jewelry of all kinds for large wholesalers for 50 years. Here we said to ourselves: why not bring an Italian jewelry product directly to the end customer? And why not do it through an online sale? This is how the desire to have our own brand was born, to open our e-commerce, to start a new and smart project that could pass on ancient knowledge. We needed an innovative name but tied to our roots, and so we chose GIUZI : since the company was started 50 years ago by grandmother Giuseppina we dedicated the name of the brand to her, to look to the future while honoring the past.
2. Tradition and Innovation: are these two terms that go hand in hand in your industry or can they not really communicate with each other?
Our sector is made up of small artisan companies and only a few large, cutting-edge companies. These few, alone, cannot revolutionize the mindset of all the others. Such a structure makes the goldsmith sector a very conservative sector, where one has the impression that there is no room for innovation: just think that orders are still sent via email or telephone, that there are no real B2Bs. A change of direction towards a smarter way of working seems like a mirage. But never say never , after all it is a sector with a solid tradition, which has survived difficult crises... It will adapt and be able to resist once again.
3. Who are all the faces behind the Giuzi brand?
There are so many faces! Unfortunately we can't show them all but we can tell you about them: production is headed by Gabriele and Francesca - Marco's parents! - who maintain relationships with the largest customers and ensure that the company prospers. Francesca is in charge of administration, Gabriele of production. Maurizio is in administration with Francesca and has been with the company for 40 years... He is our living bible, he solves all the problems and knows the company like the back of his hand. His secret? Never go to bed after 9:00 pm!
Then we have Lucia, Miss Spedizioni , she is in charge of talking to suppliers and preparing the packages for departure… All the packages, absolutely all of them! Both the small packages that leave for Giuzi and the larger packages that leave for suppliers and customers from production. For assembly and welding we have a team of very strong women: Sonia, Cinzia, Paula and Debora . They too have been with us for a lifetime and are always on the front line for advice on modifications, new models and fruit sweets.
Raffaele is a young wild card: wild card in the sense that he knows how to be in different departments (from sifting to preparation, from deliveries to laser welding) and wild card in the sense that if you take him to dinner he can start a karaoke and sing the national anthem of the firefighters without shame.
Paolo is the King of Chains , he is the man thanks to whom hundreds of different models and shapes can be created. If he didn't exist, he would have to be invented... And to invent him, Paolo would be needed!
Behind a great Paolo there is always a great Graziano , they are the duo of the preparation department, that is the one where the basic elements that make up the jewels are born: thread, links and so on…
Latest new entries: Steve, Pietro and Emanuele , Steve and Emanuele join the preparation duo and Pietro applies as the second company wild card: in the morning he takes care of the laser engravings for Giuzi and in the afternoon he moves to preparation.
Oh right! We are here too, Ilaria and Marco . We essentially deal with Giuzi and the online world. Marco analyzes the data, monitors prices, sales, discounts, the warehouse, agreements with couriers, software that can speed up every process. And then he also finds time to go to trade shows to present the chains to foreign wholesalers, to update the sample collection, to plant cacti, to eat ice cream and feed the biscuit department of all the supermarkets in the province. Ilaria is his creative partner: she writes content, organizes shootings, establishes new collaborations, checks the graphics, responds to customers, does things on social media, responds to reviews and renews the packaging with obsessive care. And when he is not developing something colorful and beautiful for Giuzi he is in the office with Maurizio and Lucia.
4. What are the values behind the Giuzi brand?
The values that drive Giuzi are simple but challenging: we believe in recognizing each person as a unique, distinctive, free and independent being. We don't like stereotypes and we would like everyone to feel free from unattainable models of perfection and happy to be the way they are. We believe that diversity is a precious value and we are committed to celebrating it, avoiding any discrimination and choosing our words carefully, because it is words that move thoughts and it is thoughts that move actions. We like to imagine - and we would like to build! - a safer and more egalitarian world for the women of the future.
5. Tell us behind the scenes, what do Ilaria and Marco do when they get up in the morning and know they will have to run faster than the courier to prepare the Giuzi packages?
First, Marco collects all the orders to be shipped, picks up the jewelry from the warehouse and, where necessary, applies the customization together with Pietro. Ilaria writes and prints all the gift cards for the day and, together with Lucia, prepares package by package. The goal is to have all the orders from the previous day ready by 12:00 , of course during Black Friday and Christmas it is not so easy but we have never disappointed anyone… Even at the cost of personally delivering the packages to the courier's headquarters!
6. What material do you use for your jewelry and why did you choose it?
To make our jewels we use exclusively 925 silver , we chose silver because it is a precious material and because it is the one whose limits and potential we know best. The risk with gold would have been theft, in bronze of poor quality... Silver is the right middle ground.
7. E-commerce has accustomed us to making purchases alone, what importance do you give to the relationship with the customer?
Human and helpful communication with customers is simply essential for us, but not only in work… In life in the round: in life there are friends, relatives, colleagues. In work there are customers. Buying a jewel must be a pleasure and finding people who help you with patience and care is essential … Who doesn't look for this from customer service? When we look for help we would always like to find professionalism and kindness, for this reason our daily commitment is to offer the same.
8. Your online community is slowly growing. How much social responsibility do brands have in 2021?
Lots. Lots. Lots. Quoting Hella Network : communication is the daughter of the society in which it is born, but it can show it how to be better . We believe in this a lot and it is the reason why we favor an inclusive language. Language not only as a choice of words but also as a choice of images and collaborations.
9. You wrote the honest guide to the jewel, also highlighting its defects. How important is transparency to you regarding the product?
It matters a lot, we prefer to say uncomfortable but sincere things, because as grandmothers would say, lies have short legs. Honesty always pays , if we say that our jewels are indestructible, that they resist everything and that they are waterproof... Sooner or later we understand that we have said something stupid and the risk is that of feeling cheated. And instead our honest guide explains on a scientific basis what happens to silver, makes clear its limits and offers some solutions to overcome the problem. Clear agreements, long friendship!
10. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
What a question, in the Maldives sipping mojitos!
No come on… Our dream is to extend the sale of Giuzi to European countries, will we make it?