Mario Buccellati initiated what would become one of the most prestigious jewellery brands of all time. Very young, he lost his father and his mother moved the family to Tromello from his native Ancona. He finally reached Milan and Milan welcomed him in the early 20th century, a period of transformation and development that would make the city Italy’s industrial and economic capital. Mario contributed to the city’s creative culture; as an apprentice, he joined the renowned Beltrami & Besnati jewellery store on Via Santa Margherita, a few steps from the La Scala theatre, and fell in love with the goldsmith’s art, instantly showing his extraordinary talent.
The story of his beginnings is also out of the ordinary: he returned to Milan from the First World War (with a war merit cross), purchased the jewellery store on Via Santa Margherita and started his own business in 1919, with his first creations rapidly becoming a success. Mario Buccellati was inspired by classical artefacts, particularly from the Renaissance. He reworked them with original chromatic and technical solutions, which have remained unmatched in creativity and perfection. The complex “tulle” and “rigato” techniques became his unmistakable signature; engravings and chiseling created refined jewels, looking like lace and fabrics studded with precious gems. In 1921, during an exhibition in Madrid, his pieces caught the attention of Spanish royalty and made him famous on the international scene. The following year he met Gabriele D’Annunzio. The poet became his good friend and fervent admirer (he crowned him “Prince of goldsmiths” and nicknamed him “Mastro Paragon Coppella”, referring to the small crucible used by goldsmiths) as well as an enthusiastic customer who bought hundreds of jewellery pieces and accessories. He donated them to friends and lovers, celebrities such as Eleonora Duse and Ida Rubinstein or simple strangers, becoming an exceptional brand ambassador. Buccellati jewellery was now sought after by royal houses and by affluent and prestigious customers across Europe.
A wise entrepreneur and a great artist, Mario Buccellati opened boutiques in Rome and Florence a few years later. At the same time, at the beginning of the 1950s, he pioneered the American market with the help of his son Luca, opening two stores in New York and Palm Beach. It was also successful abroad, and the “Buccellati style” became a symbol of refined Made in Italy quality. Mario Buccellati died in 1965, leaving five children: the youngest, Giorgio, would become a famous archaeologist; the other four – Luca, Lorenzo, Federico and Gianmaria – separated after a period of shared management of the family business.
In 2011 Gianmaria realised his dream of bringing the Gianmaria Buccellati and Mario Buccellati companies together under a single brand – Buccellati. Gianmaria, who on Mario’s death had become responsible for the craft workshops and the creative part, inherited not only the great talent of his father but also his entrepreneurial spirit. He expanded Buccellati’s business and prestige worldwide: in 1970 he inaugurated the first Italian jewellery in Hong Kong (Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya will follow in Japan), and in 1979 he was the first Italian jeweller to open a shop in the legendary Place Vendôme. Headed by Gianmaria, who passed away in 2015, Buccellati made headlines for the extraordinary masterpieces created by the Maison’s artisans and for their ability to innovate the brand’s tradition without ever betraying its spirit. They expanded the brand’s range to include watches and unique accessories (such as the most expensive iPhone cover in the world, designed in 2014 by his granddaughter Lucrezia). Ambassador of the highest goldsmith art worldwide, he also did a lot for the jewellery industry in Italy, co[1]founding the Italian Gemmological Institute in 1973, which he would head for 25 years. Globally admired for his skills as a goldsmith and an entrepreneur, he has been a Famedio member in Milan since 2018.
In the best family tradition, his son Andrea supported him from a very young age, learning all the secrets of the Buccellati processes and techniques and passing them on to his daughter Lucrezia. The Richemont Group has owned Buccellati since 2019, but the family has maintained key roles: Maria Cristina is the head of communication, while Andrea is the honorary president and creative director. He works hand in hand with his daughter Lucrezia, the company’s first female designer and representative of a new generation, capable of giving new creative impulses and reworking Buccellati’s great style heritage in a new way. Many initiatives in recent years have demonstrated the jewellery brand’s vitality and deep bond with Milan. In 2019, the brand’s 100th-anniversary celebrations culminated with the opening of a new, prestigious headquarters designed in 1919 by architect Portaluppi. In 2021, participation in the Homo Faber event showed the cultural bridge that continues to unite Buccellati with the more cultured Renaissance tradition and the challenges of the 21st century. The company also took part in the Design Week for the first time.
They did so in style, with the exhibition “Il Galateo – a Journey into Conviviality”, curated by Federica Sala and set up by Studio Stefano Boeri Interiors. They asked four leading names in design (Dimorestudio, Ashley Hicks, Chahan Minassian and Patricia Urquiola) to provide their own take on the contemporary table using Buccellati silver collections and the new porcelain collection developed with Ginori 1735, which reproduces the decorative motifs of Buccellati’s Double Rouche collection. Inspired by Giovanni Della Casa’s Galateo and Baldassarre Castiglione’s Il Libro del Cortegiano, Buccellati wanted to celebrate the table as a privileged place for the pleasure of being together, which we have missed so much in the last years. Finally, recent initiatives include participating in the Haute Couture week in Paris, where Buccellati exhibited unreleased pieces from the Vintage collection, a revival of masterpieces created between the forties and the nineties. The collection is the result of meticulous study and research that led to an archive of over 20,000 original drawings, 500 plasters and more than 6000 photographs: a dip into the history of this legendary company that will delight admirers and collectors.
