Silverware designer Simone De Min's first creation was a silver box he made for his girlfriend when he was 20. 'I just sketched it and gave it to a silver factory to make,' he says. His love for silver stuck. After graduating from university, Simone worked at a silver factory in his native Florence and today owns a shop at the Four Seasons Hotel in Milan. It was a chance meeting with businessman Andrew Yuen that convinced Simone to stage his second exhibition in Hong Kong. Like his parents, Simone is an avid art collector of antiques and silverware. 'I love collecting and being surrounded by beautiful things. It has been part of my upbringing,' he says. Simone says that silver in the form of a decorative object has been neglected for the past 10 years but is set to make a comeback. 'What I do is make new things with old techniques, and what I create is something which is a mix between my own tastes and that of my clients.' Simone says his creations are popular with his Hong Kong clients because they are unique. 'Hong Kong people travel all over the world and can buy things everywhere. What I offer them are things which are unique and beautiful and cannot be found anywhere.' Apart from his own creations, Simone sells antique silver pieces which he sources from his travels throughout Europe, mainly from private estates. Simone says he is more selective these days when it comes to giving gifts. 'I don't give all my girlfriends silver objects . . . unless they are really very special.' Simone's five-day silver exhibition starts from November 4 at the Island Shangri-La's Presidential Suite. Call Vida Chung on 2523-7666 for more details.
