Piranesi is an Italian jewelry house based in New York City, known for its one-of-a-kind, exclusive jewels made from the finest quality gemstones. The brand spans generations, with Mrs. Miriam Hajibay as the current President and Designer of Piranesi and her son Julian Hajibay as the Managing Director of the company.
The incredible legacy built by Mr Sami Hajibay, who passed in 2017, continues to live on through his wife, Miriam, and their six children as the next generation to carry on the brand’s eminence. Julian discussed in 2021 with Renu Choudhary of The Diamond Talk how he inherited his fathers passion, fearlessness, and strong DNA for gemstones. He recalled spending summers in the family office learning from his father while everyone else was at summer camp.
Having studied real estate development in emerging international markets at NYU and growing up learning the family business from his parents, Julian is able to merge the two worlds together to continue building the brand’s prominence on the biggest arenas in the world.
With over two decades of experience designing for the brand, Miriam is the genius and the vision behind the designs of Piranesi. Creating exclusive and detailed jewelry from a woman's perspective, she likes to say that Piranesi jewelry is not designed with a distinct ‘style,’ rather it is designed as a ‘lifestyle.’ Owners of Piranesi are not just customers, they become collectors. The brand differentiates itself from other jewelry brands with collectors being able to purchase the jewelry for everyday wear, special galas and events, to pass down through generations, and for long term investment.
From a soccer mom, to CEO, to philanthropist, and entrepreneur, Piranesi is for the modern renaissance woman who wears many hats. As a women-run brand with women making up nearly 90% of the staff, Piranesi jewelry is crafted with a confident and powerful femininity for collectors to fall in love with. As Julian puts it, “from A to Z, the Piranesi woman is who she wants to be.”
Miriam and Sami instilled in their children to follow what they believe in, that trust is the foundation of a strong relationship, and to never get comfortable—understand what is popular in the market and always find ways to reinvent. And once Miriam finishes designing a collection, she is already traveling and pursuing the next gemstone to build a collection.
During the global pandemic, Miriam and Julian took on their largest project since the passing of Sami—opening a Piranesi salon at The Badrutt’s Palace Hotel in St. Moritz. Expanding Piranesi’s reach to St. Moritz was a natural progression of the brand's over 30-year presence as the top jewelry store in Aspen. Miriam prides herself on being able to reinvent and surprise collectors every time they walk through the store by offering a unique and exclusive experience that is unlike any other.
Elizabeth Taylor and Piranesi
Specializing in exclusive, one-of-a-kind pieces, made with the highest quality gemstones, Piranesi is a historically distinguished name among royal families, celebrities, private clients, and passionate jewelry collectors since its founding in 1845.
As Elizabeth Taylor’s personal jewelers, Sami and Miriam Hajibay brought her sketches to life, collaborating on the Elizabeth by Piranesi Collection before her passing in 2011. Sami was introduced to Elizabeth Taylor, and their relationship quickly grew, not just into a business relationship, but a close personal friendship. Julian told with the Gulf Times in 2022: “Elizabeth Taylor and my late father were very good friends towards the end of her life. We had a very close relationship. Even if you look at the Pirenesi book, we have a dedicated section in it specifically dedicated to Liz Taylor. Her loved ones wrote a letter when my father passed away, saying that at night when they look at the sky, there are going to be two diamonds sparkling back at them — representing Elizabeth and my father.”
Miriam would sit with Sami and Elizabeth while Elizabeth drew sketches, and Miriam would then perfect the sketches. Anything Liz approved, she signed ‘ET’ in the binder, and it would immediately go into production. The Elizabeth by Piranesi Collection perfectly encapsulated her unique personality and legendary diva status.
Piranesi Collections
The Boutique Collection is the gateway into the world of Piranesi jewelry, with wearable daytime peices for the everyday look. Featuring large semi-precious gemstones and pavé precious gemstones, this boutique collections do not shy away from color.
The Mosaique body of work is a love letter to bold and brilliant color, reflecting the detailed workmanship of Italian mosque architecture and showcasing Piranesi's mastery of colorful gemstones. While the extraordinary color and composition of the gemstones are the focal point of each Mosaiqiue piece, Miriam uses pavé diamonds interwoven with the precious gemstones to accent the jewelry.
When it comes to large semi-precious stone jewelry, Miriam designs the pieces more luxuriously, accentuating the beauty of the large, semi-precious stone and adding details along the sides and back of the piece.
Piranesi's Couture Collection features large and precious stones designed to be the soul of the piece. All stones from the Couture and Masterpiece collections come with 1-3 certificates, depending on the importance of the stone.
The Masterpiece Collection is the quintessence of Piranesi’s rarest, most precious, and most sought after stones, collected over the past century, generation-to-generation. The purity and other-worldliness of the stones are highlighted by understated designs. Nature is a significant source of inspiration within the Masterpiece Collection. Miriam incorporate movement and energy into her designs that bring out the richness of the stones from all angles. Collectors are drawn to Piranesi’s unique ability to create breathtaking pieces that feature many organic cabochon-shaped precious stones that perfectly match perfectly in color.
What Piranesi Means to Brandon Boswell Diamonds
“When I was first introduced to Piranesi, I knew that my clients would fall in love with their beautiful jewelry just as I had. I had the opportunity to meet Miriam and Julian, and we bonded over our mutual passion for fine jewelry, high and designer fashion, and Italian renaissance art, architecture, and design. Quality and craftsmanship matter to my clients, and Piranesi’s unique ability to design lifestyle jewelry—for everyday wear, for special events, to pass down to grandchildren, and for investment purposes—perfectly aligns with my vision for my brand and the lifelong relationships and friendships I build with my collectors.”
As one of Piranesi’s selective independent fine jewelry partners in the Unites States, Brandon Boswell Diamonds offers exceptional pieces from many of Piranesi’s exclusive collections. Visit us in store or browse our online showroom to discover the wonder of Piranesi’s fine jewelry.
