MILAN — Buccellati is making a statement in Florence and in the street where founder Mario Buccellati and his brother Melchiorre opened a shop in 1929.
The storied jeweler on Wednesday will open its new boutique on the city’s luxury shopping street Via Tornabuoni, signaling a further step in the brand’s expansion in Italy.
“Returning to Florence means to once again connect through a precious thread with our history, which began with my grandfather Mario in 1929,” said communication director Maria Cristina Buccellati. “This new opening on Via Tornabuoni is not only a new chapter that reopens, but a deep homage to the link we have with this extraordinary city.”
To mark the inauguration, Buccellati is also staging a retrospective exhibition in the store of never-before-seen jewelry and silverware creations reflecting the craftsmanship, artistic inspiration and relationship with Florence and its rich cultural heritage — an ongoing source of inspiration for the brand.
Among the standouts designed by Mario and his son Gianmaria Buccellati are a 1930s silver powder case, intricately engraved with a depiction of the Renaissance Palazzo Strozzi in Florence; a small 1960s silver frame adorned with pearls, presenting a perfect replica of Sandro Botticelli’s 15th-century “Madonna and Child,” and a striking 1985 gray pearl necklace featuring yellow and white gold frills encrusted with diamonds.
Buccellati has a total of 67 stores globally and Florence is the fifth boutique in Italy after Milan, Rome, Venice and Capri, the latter a seasonal one.
In Florence, the unit spans over three floors and more than 1,850 square feet. Antique display cases evoke the atmosphere of Mario Buccellati’s original workshops, reinterpreted with a modern touch.
A dedicated area is also reserved for the art de la table and Buccellati’s silverware.
Upon entering, an imposing chandelier is a focal point and above it, the original ceiling has been carefully preserved. Antique mirrors, walls adorned with refined stucco work, and flooring made using traditional Venetian Seminato, an ancient technique involving marble inlays and a polished surface, are some of the key elements of the boutique.
The house, founded in 1919 and now designed by third-generation heir Andrea Buccellati and his daughter Lucrezia, is known for exquisitely engraved and openwork jewels, handmade with traditional goldsmith craftsmanship dating to the Renaissance, and recognized for its tulle, lace and twisted thread motifs, as well as for its silverware. Buccellati is part of Compagnie Financière Richemont and is helmed by chief executive officer Nicolas Luchsinger.
The Milan-based jeweler has been shining the light on its history with “The Prince of Goldsmiths. Buccellati Rediscovering the Classics” exhibition unveiled in Venice in April 2024, then brought to Shanghai with additional rooms at the end of last year.