hen you hold a piece of Buccellati jewellery in your hands, the first thing you feel is that the finely crafted gold is rarely solid, but instead engraved, openworked and rendered so airy that it naturally lets light shine through. Even before being a piece of jewellery, it is a metal fashioned like fabric: flowing, smoothly articulated and ethereal.
Taking a closer look at a bracelet crafted as if it were tulle, or a piece of jewellery engraved with fine lines, gives the distinct impression that the metal has not only been modelled, but also worked to the point of being almost alive and charged with powerful meanings. This is where the House’s language takes shape: gold is not a compact mass, but rather a hollowed-out weave, designed to leave room for deliberate emptiness. When the metal is indeed solid, it is exquisitely crafted in accurate detail as if to enhance the material itself and characterised by finishes rendering literally palpable the touch of the artisan who lovingly fashioned it.
“The Prince of Goldsmiths”
In the early 1920s, the founder Mario Buccellati began to interpret and translate the Venetian lace tradition into gold plate— not as a decorative reference, but rather a true modus operandi. His design language can be summed up in these words: value lies not in quantity, but in craftsmanship that removes, engraves and defines.
In the 1930s, his meeting with writer Gabriele D’Annunzio helped consolidate this cultural vision. The poet—who dubbed Mario Buccellati “The Prince of Goldsmiths”—was not looking for opulence, but instead personality and symbolism. The famous Ombelicali necklaces that Mario designed for him embodied the idea of an ornament serving as a theatrical gesture, capable of interacting with the body and speech. This relationship between the poet and the goldsmith already hinted at a distinctive feature of the House: jewellery as an expression of material culture.
At the end of World War II, the sons joined their father, with Gianmaria taking care of creativity, Lorenzo and Federico handling commercial expansion, while Luca, the eldest, opened the first boutique on New York’s 51st Street in 1951.
Today, Andrea, Mariacristina and Luca—respectively Gianmaria’s son and grandsons—as well as Andrea’s daughter Lucrezia and Luca’s daughter Carolina continue to cultivate the family tradition.
For Andrea, "Here at Buccellati, craftsmanship has never been a matter of mere technique, but rather a soul that vibrates in every piece of jewellery; an intimate dialogue between the expert hands of our master goldsmiths and precious materials. It is a legacy that is passed on, a secret whispered from generation to generation, inextricably binding us to a centuries-old tradition. This tradition is our deepest root, the inexhaustible source from which we draw inspiration for each new creation. It is precisely this solid foundation that has enabled us to embrace evolution with characteristic grace and foresight. Each Buccellati creation testifies to a journey, forming a bridge between a glorious past and a future that reinvents beauty, transforming each gem and every engraving into an enduring, deeply personal chapter of our history.”
Since 2019, Buccellati has been part of the Geneva-based Richemont Group and this integration has strengthened its global presence without altering the technical vocabulary that defines it. Generational continuity remains clearly apparent in the proportions, the finely crafted surfaces and the dimensions.
In Buccellati’s creations, the surface is undoubtedly more prominent than the stone. Techniques such as Tulle, Nido d’Ape (honeycomb), Pizzo (lace) and Filo Ritorto (twisted thread) transform metal into light, suspended structures. Tulle Radiale evokes rosettes and Italian architecture; Pizzo alternates between solids and voids like embroidery; parallel line engraving creates a soft effect, absorbing light rather than reflecting it directly. Gold is no longer compact, but instead vibrant and charged with emotion.
Manual engraving
This emphasis on craftsmanship and expertise implies a different relationship with time. Etched, decorated, modelled, chased and woven engraving techniques require precision and concentration. Each line traced with a burin is final. Within a production system sometimes geared towards mass production, preserving manual engraving means accepting lengthy lead times.
Yet it is here that the force of each line, the capacity to forge a powerful identity, lies. In a landscape dominated by the visual impact of precious metal in abundance, to offer an object that requires careful observation becomes a quiet declaration. The material is witness to long hours at the workbench. Time invested is celebrated, not hidden.
While subtraction has always guided Buccellati’s stylistic language, the consistent dialogue with art is one of its most obvious expressions in the vast majority of fine jewellery collections. Within the Mosaico line, Byzantine inspiration translates into chromatic modules that fragment light like glass tesserae. Colour contributes to the structure. The first mosaic-inspired jewellery dates back to Mario and then to his successor Gianmaria, both masters in the creation of complex, vibrant geometric patterns. Andrea Buccellati describes these collections as follows: “I took up the practice of both my father and grandfather: examining the great works of the past in search of inspiration. With their gold backgrounds, unexpected geometrical effects, stylisation and suspended light that seems to transcend any surface, Byzantine mosaics vividly embody a sense of charm and magic.”
The House’s cultural commitment also extends to training, through its collaboration with the Ambrosiana School of Goldsmithing to support the passing on of engraving techniques.
A 2024 exhibition coinciding with the 60th Venice Biennale, The Prince of Goldsmiths. Rediscovering the Classics, enabled the general public to admire archive pieces and contemporary creations in a journey dedicated to Buccellati’s classic creation. For this event, the symbol of the butterfly—an emblem of transformation and airy lightness—was reinterpreted by four members of the founding family. The butterflies designed by Mario, Gianmaria, Andrea and Lucrezia were dotted around the exhibition, offering a concrete expression of inter-generational artistic transmission: the same principle, yet rendered in a different tone.
A first line of silver jewellery
The exhibition then travelled to the Shanghai Exhibition Centre, extending this narrative to an international audience.
The Blossoms collection designed by Lucrezia Buccellati, representing the fourth generation, reflects the unbroken creative line running from the founder Mario, her great-grandfather, to her grandfather Gianmaria and her father Andrea.
Inspired by flowers, it is graced with an appealingly fresh design that makes it perfect for everyday wear. This is also the first line of silver jewellery by Buccellati.
In a world of fleeting fashion trends, Buccellati proudly demonstrates its commitment to timeless beauty, remaining loyal to its uniquely distinctive style and ancient craftsmanship techniques. With the help of third and fourth generations of designers, it pursues its goldsmithing tradition by interpreting a more youthful approach making use of a noble metal such as silver, enhanced by skilful engravings and touches of golden light.
When gold is refined to become texture and light is not reflected but instead filtered, jewellery is no longer merely an ornament: it becomes a construction, a memory, an enduring gesture.
