History of Buccellati

The Italian firm, Buccellati, is known for its beautiful handcrafted items designed in gold and silver and in platinum and gold. They used their unique engraving skills which included designs that imitated linen, parallel engraving which creates a sheen appearance, engraving that criss crosses and designs based on nature-animal, leaves and flowers. Their most delicate texture engraving is called modellato, which “consists of reproducing several designs chiseled in three dimensions on a minuscule scale”, usually used as decorations on boarders. In the mid eighteenth, century Contargo Buccellati worked as a goldsmith in Milan. In 1909, at the age of 12, Mario Buccellati apprenticed with the highly respected firm, Beltrami & Beltrami, in Milan. In 1919, Buccellati took over the firm and renamed it Buccellati. Because of his unique handcrafted items such as Buccellati watches and rings, Buccellati became international known. Later, four of his five sons entered the business-Frederico, Gianmaria, Luca and Lorenzo. They opened new stores in Rome (1925) and Florence (1929). In 1951, he was the first Italian craftsman to open a store in New York on Fifth Avenue. In 1967, Mario Buccellati died and his four sons split the business. His sons, Lorenzo and Frederico, took over the stores in Italy. Luca and Gianmaria assumed responsibility for the stores in the United States and expanded into Hong Kong in 1970, Monte Carlo in 1976 and Paris in 1979. The third generation of Buccellati now owns the company and they have grown internationally.