Kings and Popes in the Buccellati Archives

The history of a prestigious jewelry brand seen through its archives. Buccellati has launched a project to restore the historical documentation of its archive, including the important historical sales registers. The restoration process went through several stages of work: from repairing gaps to binding and sewing pages, up to the delicate reconstruction of an original label or cover. The restoration and study of the registers, preserved in the Buccellati Historical Archive, have allowed us to reconstruct the artistic production of jewelry and silverware as well as the Maison’s clientele from the early 1920s to the 1940s.

From the very beginning, Mario Buccellati attracted a prestigious and cosmopolitan clientele that included popes, queens and princesses, people from high society and entertainment, artists and intellectuals: the names were kept only in the historical registers of the first boutique opened in 1919 in Milan in Via Santa Margherita 5. Mario, with meticulous precision and extraordinary skill, drew and described the objects reporting various details such as materials, carats, cost and sale prices alongside the name of the buyer.

The clientele included personalities from the Vatican or royal families such as the House of Savoy, the Bourbons of Spain, the royals of Belgium, King Farouk of Egypt, the Queen of England or, again, artists such as Gabriele d’Annunzio. The documents today contribute to reconstructing the history not only of the Maison, but also of the historic jewels, and thus also facilitate authentication services, the purchase of new creations for the Historic collection and rediscover ancient designs and techniques useful as inspiration for the creative direction.