Buccellati in Bloom

By Tali Jaffe-Minor

Buccellati, the Milanese high jewelry house, continues to innovate while honoring the traditions and designs of its founder, Mario Buccellati. Today, Mario’s great granddaughter Lucrezia leads the company’s creative team, producing coveted collections that are at once timeless and contemporary.
“I feel honored to continue my family legacy especially because what I do is my passion,” says Lucrezia Buccellati. “It’s an important role to be part of the new generation, to continue what my great grandfather Mario—and then my grandfather Gianmaria—originally started.”

You were born in Miami and were raised in Milan. You also lived in New York. How does your style change from city to city?
Each of these three cities holds a special place in my heart. My style changes for each of them, reflecting the mood and inspiration that they give me. In Miami, I want to be more minimalist and wear fewer pieces but with a bigger statement. In New York, I like to play with more layers of clothes and jewels, making a more edgy look. In Milan I go for a more classic look, combining a blazer with jeans and a shirt with one or two pieces of jewelry.

 

 

What’s your ideal way to spend a spring weekend in Miami?
I love that Miami is a city that offers an energetic vibe but also a relaxed lifestyle. I enjoy every moment I can be near the ocean. My ideal weekend is going out on the boat to one of the Keys. I also spend quite some time in Wellington, about one hour away from Miami, where I have my horses and can enjoy being in nature.

Do you have any special Bal Harbour Shops memories you’d like to share?
It’s our family tradition to shop at Bal Harbour Shops during the holiday season. We take one day and shop for everyone in our family.

How about a favorite restaurant?
My favorite is Makoto, especially after an afternoon of shopping. It’s the best spot to get a Martini and sushi.

You’re the fourth generation to design for Buccellati. What is most important to you in being a part of that tradition?
It’s very important for me to have the opportunity to continue our family heritage and maintain our DNA that is reflected in our iconic style.

You’ve shared that your role is sort of a bridge between the house’s traditions and contemporary designs. Can you share a recent example of that–perhaps revisiting a classic collection or motif?
It’s important for us to embrace our classic design and create new and more contemporary variations. We aren’t necessarily changing the design but working on the wearability of the piece, modifying dimensions or shapes. A perfect example is the Opera collection. We recently launched our new Opera Galileo pendant necklace. It’s a longer chain and has a more geometric and mobile pendant.

 

 

You created the Blossoms collection in 2011—which was also your debut with the company, and the first silver jewelry collection. Why did you choose a floral motif and why silver?
The Gardenia motif was chosen because it represents a natural element iconic of Buccellati but also it holds the meaning of the birth of something new and fresh. When I was little my father used to pick blooms from our garden in Milan and put one in my room leaving a wonderful scent. It’s my favorite flower and holds sentimental meaning to me. The idea was to create a collection in silver that embraced the heritage of Buccellati, but that would also be a new and fresh line that spoke to not only our existing clients but also the younger generations.

Tell us about the latest Blossoms collection. Is there significance to the colors you chose to work with?
The Blossom Colour collection is very unique. We chose three different color stones for the daisy design: pink opal, yellow agate, and blue agate. The colors are reminiscent of spring when a daisy blooms.

 

 

The Buccellati boutique has just undergone a redesign. Can you share something you’re especially pleased with?
The brand has been in Bal Harbour Shops for nearly a decade. The boutique went through a full transformation of the façade and interior.  The interior design reflects the brand’s new architectural concept with our historical windows and brand-new silver library, my favorite.  The library is a stunning display of all our techniques dating back to the Renaissance era.

As we get ready for summer, what’s on your travel agenda?
My summer will be based in Europe. I love to travel and discover new places with my family, but we also like to visit places I went to in my childhood and loved.