Tradition, skills, and excellence in handcrafting, creativity, and the highest quality materials. These values have always been central to Buccellati, a long-established family firm that has created Italian-designed jewelry, silverware, and watches by preserving its stylistic identity for a century.
Founder Mario Buccellati (1891-1965) did his apprenticeship at a very young age at the famous jewelers and goldsmiths Beltrami & Besnati, where he learned all about metals and stones, and the use the craftsmen made of them. The young man was fascinated by the antique techniques that dated back to ancient Greece, the Middle Ages, or his favorite period, the Renaissance.
In 1919, he opened his first jewelry store in Milan, on Largo Santa Margherita, near the famous La Scala Theatre. He revived and emphasized the use of ancient tools and traditions to bring his creations into being. Each of his creations held a rich textural quality and resembled sumptuous fabrics, delicate damasks, and Venetian laces. Engraving and chiseling techniques were incorporated into a mix of precious stones and metals for an unusual yet extraordinary combination.
In 1951, Mario decided to expand the house of Buccellati internationally and ventured into the American market; he opened his first store on 51st Street, in the heart of New York City.
When Mario Buccellati passed away in 1965, four of his five sons took over the family business. Among them was Gianmaria (1929-2015), who passionately learned the meticulous craftsmanship and was notably the driving force behind Buccellati, as he started to work as an apprentice with his father from his very young age, following his footsteps.
Gianmaria had always been flanked by his son Andrea, who has inherited his father’s artistic talents and who supervises all jewelry creation steps in the Milan ateliers and headquarters. Nowadays Andrea is the Honorary President and Creative Director of the Buccellati Group.
In the purest Buccellati style, where all creative skills are passed down from father to son, Andrea is today supported by his daughter Lucrezia, a young woman, mother, and co-creative designer of the group living in New York and supplying new inspirations and trends to the brand’s creations.
All Buccellati jewels are admired worldwide for their design, for their genuine craftsmanship, and for their engraving techniques, which are obtained by using the burins, traditional tools with a particular stroke that can reflect light and give the precious metal an inimitable softness and “silky effect.” All Buccellati creations have this unique stroke: gold and silver are never shiny, but — on the contrary — they get a “silky effect” thanks to the various engraving techniques. Using the burin requires a huge dexterity and ability, because it must be used with the right cutting angle, the right sharpening and finishing; therefore, it must be duly prepared to engrave. The cutting inclination of the burin allows the removal of the right quantity of metal, but changing the inclination by just one degree may result in a big risk to compromise the final result.
