“Being Surrounded By Beauty Is The Best Part Of My Job”
One of the remarkable crystal - shaped by Mother Nature herself.
In the heart of the Upper East Side, one of the premier fine mineral shops is situated between jewelry shops and luxury clothing stores. David Bagnera, gallery manager at Mardani Fine Minerals, explains that at this price point his clients are purchasing minerals as they would invest in art, their clients are often collectors.
Indeed, there are no street fare crystals in the Mardani shop, and as in any luxury boutique, the items lack prize tags. Mardani is more of a gallery for the extraordinary creations of Mother Nature than it is a shop.
Emilia Nygren: - How did you get into minerals in the first place?
David Bagnera: - I have always been fascinated with rocks and minerals, I worked in the jewelry business before I started at Mardani four years ago. I feel like there is a full-circle moment moving from jewelry to luxury mineral sales, as the minerals are just the pure form of the stones that are cut into jewelry stones. I love to learn more about new minerals and really get into the process of the formation of these incredible stones.
EN: - What is your responsibilities as Gallery Manager, and what’s the purpose of the Mardani Shop?
DB: - My role in the shop is to educate people that come in, and curate the space in a way that displays the minerals in their most flattering form. We also have a white-glove-service, to make sure the minerals are placed right in the customers home and to secure the delivery as many of the minerals are quite heavy and sensitive. Like that sphere over there, it weighs over 100 pounds, so that would need both strength and care in transport.
EN: - Do you have a personal favorite mineral at the moment? Or would that be like choosing your favorite child?
This is a 100 pound heavy sphere.
DB: - Haha, well it’s always changing as we sell things but it’s important to have a favorite. Right now, it’s this fluorite, I think the composition of the red and yellow coloring that caught my eye.
EN: - Has there been one favorite that you’ve sold that you’ve almost mourned the loss of? As you won’t be seeing them every day.
DB: - I don’t look at it that way. I try to see to it that we find good homes for them and that they work with the personal collection of the customer.
EN: - Any customer favorites?
DB: - Hm, I think it’s probably this pyrite, which is sometimes called fool’s gold as it has the golden color. This particular specimen has two intersecting cubes, people always think it’s been cut that way, but they are naturally formed into clear cut cubes.
EN: - Have you noticed an increase of interest in minerals as the trends of crystal healing has been popularized the past few years? I noticed that celebrities such as Spencer Pratt follow the Mardani Instagram account.
DB: - Yes, I’ve noticed a shift just in the few years I’ve worked here. I mean even the Kardashians are using crystals for energetic benefits, and I believe there is some truth to it. Even in our watches, there is quartz help the machinery run, and minerals, so there is energy in the stones. Here we respect everyone’s beliefs, and many customers buy minerals to create feng shui in their homes.
EN: - Finally what is the best part of your job?
DB: - Honestly, it’s to spend my days being surrounded by the beauty of these minerals that nature created.