Hello all, just mod shots of some Bucellati pieces I tried on today.
For reference and for those interested in the brand.
For reference and for those interested in the brand.
Bucellati Opera pieces
- Thread starter lill_canele
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Thanks for sharing these! Do you know if there are any retailers in North America?
How did you like them? Did they feel solid or flimsy? Do you think they look too similar to vca?
NY / stand alone / bergdorf / scully & scully / manhasset
Chicago stand alone
Several locations in california
An authorized dealer in Boston (maybe Shreve )
Also Florida, Atlanta
IMO they are entirely different stylistically from VCA, not only thematically, but also in a kind of burnished, hand made, tactile, artisanal, old world, Italian style. The inspiration is a mix of textile, renaissance, Vatican, and taken from (as per their literature, members of the Buccellati family). As opposed to Cartier and VCA, who have employed outside designers. Their cuffs and bracelets often have a fabric texture and/or are representations of nature like curved leaves, sunflowers, vines.
The pieces are quite solid, but the most popular collection (a bunch of circles) is relatively lightweight. IMO, the circles don’t have much to do with the archives of buccellati, but IDK enough
In comparison, VCA is, IMO, more modern, and French, very different from the italian in style, inspiration, and design. I’m not just talking about the quadrafoil, but also the settings (like mystery setting) and the other lines, like buton d’or etc. VCAs rendition of nature seems very stylized compared to Buccellati
(I don’t own any buccellati myself bc my step mother was a fan, and we had very different aesthetics )
ETA: the house is also very well known for its silver smithing and they create gorgeous, intricate items for the home.
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I love them!
I have a silver ring with agate stones bought in Feb 2023 and while it’s not an everyday piece, I wear it about once a week and I’ve had no issues with tarnishing, discoloration, or major scratches. I also wash my hands with it on and it seems fine to me.
Despite me loving my hard wearing daily industrial pieces, I have a soft spot for the intricate flair of the Renaissance and ornate baroque designs. (Honestly I feel like half of me loves a classic clean modern look and the other half just wants to live in Versailles or something lol)
All of the pieces I tried on in the photos felt very comfortable and secure.
My main concern was actually keeping them clean. Like how @880 said, there’s more intricacy in their design with a lot of handmade work and textures. When I spoke to the SA, she said their best recommendation is to bring back to the store for professional cleaning. They steam clean their pieces to get into all the lines and grooves to avoid abrasive damage of repeated brushing or rubbing.
I have tried on more intricate rings from the Macri and Rombi and to be honest the Rombi felt a little rough (on adjacent fingers) and the Macri with all the grooves/lines, I don’t trust myself to take care of lol.
The one with the many rings that @880 mentioned is called the Hawaii collection I think.
While very modern and clean….i don’t get it. It doesn’t speak to me lol. 😅
I believe one of the daughters of the founder of the brand made that line. So it’s definitely newer.
Thanks for the pictures!
These Opera pieces look Alhambra from afar, even in person, when I saw them at Harrods in London.
Their creations are pretty but they use a lot of enamel, even in their high jewelry collections, rather than stones. They do this thing, though, with metal where it looks like some sort of fabric, which I think is impressive.
These Opera pieces look Alhambra from afar, even in person, when I saw them at Harrods in London.
Their creations are pretty but they use a lot of enamel, even in their high jewelry collections, rather than stones. They do this thing, though, with metal where it looks like some sort of fabric, which I think is impressive.
The pieces are quite solid, but the most popular collection (a bunch of circles) is relatively lightweight. IMO, the circles don’t have much to do with the archives of buccellati, but IDK enough
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The circles are the Hawaii collection.
First created in the 1990s, pieces can be seen within the context of that time when minimalism was an actual statement and not curation. I think it also shows in the lightness of the pieces as jewellery was very wispy and ethereal, if worn at all.
Looks so good on you. Did anything beg you to take it home?
Somewhere I have an inherited Eternelle in yg and diamonds. It reflects their lace-out-of-gold aesthetic, but it's a bit small for me so I have to wear it as a slider on a necklace.
Until recently, Buccelati was still family owned and run, sadly they sold it, and it was sold and sold again, most recently in 2019 to Richemont (which of course own VCA and Cartier).
It's very Florentine, and Florence is the centre of jewellery making in Italy. World famous and world class. People used to go to Florence just to buy jewellery.
VCA's Alhambra was created in the late '60s, Buccallati's Opera is quite recent (I think about 10 years ago). It's obviously a trickle across trend-led thing, but I think the Opera has enough identity of its own, t's a whole lot fancier and intricate. It also shows of their house style filigree work in the un-filled versions very well.
I haven't been to the store in London. I like the Macri, again it's very Florentine with the etching, especially the plain bangles. I have my eye on fine jewellery in Carrier (if I ever get there). Strangely, I've always liked the silver flower cuffs which is not my usual style, but they do an oxidised with brown diamonds which is very SS25 motoboho - and that won't break the bank.
Looks so good on you. Did anything beg you to take it home?
Somewhere I have an inherited Eternelle in yg and diamonds. It reflects their lace-out-of-gold aesthetic, but it's a bit small for me so I have to wear it as a slider on a necklace.
The opera pendant is on my wishlist. Planning to buy one by the end of this year.
I fell in love with the opera tulle dual ring!
Omg it was stunning and felt so comfortable and not in the way. But I need to think about that one a bit. It would not be a daily piece and a stand alone piece. As a person who loves cost per wear, it’s a bit of an adjustment to wear things occasionally (or less frequently).lol when I told the SA that I garden, wash dishes, and walk my dogs in my jewelry she was surprised
.But again, the Bucellati pieces will be taken off when needed. I’ve gotten better and more accustomed to doing that with the silver agate blossom ring. So now that I know I can do that, I feel I can trust myself with other pieces…hopefully haha.
wow finally a bucellati thread! amazing pieces that you tried on 😍 and i really love the opera and macri line. they're so beautifully and intricately designed - like works of art! i only found out about this brand after i bought the VCA YG guilloche pendant and tbh, i might have bought bucellati's opera necklace over VCA if i had known about this brand earlier.
i ended up purchasing the opera tulle bracelet as i was looking for an alternative to the vca 5 motif alhambra bracelet. i have extremely tiny wrists and the vca bracelet just didn't look great on me. the opera tulle bracelet is pretty weighty despite its dainty appearance so i am very pleased. while it does have some semblance to alhambra, it isn't as popular and hence is much less recognizable. however, i am fine with that as i admire the beauty of it and it makes me happy.
bucellati's pieces seem to be very difficult to procure, requiring a 100% deposit and wait times can vary between 2-8 months (at least in Asia). i got lucky as there was one available piece in the boutique (not a display piece) and I snapped it up right away, before the price increase in Jan this year.
i ended up purchasing the opera tulle bracelet as i was looking for an alternative to the vca 5 motif alhambra bracelet. i have extremely tiny wrists and the vca bracelet just didn't look great on me. the opera tulle bracelet is pretty weighty despite its dainty appearance so i am very pleased. while it does have some semblance to alhambra, it isn't as popular and hence is much less recognizable. however, i am fine with that as i admire the beauty of it and it makes me happy.
bucellati's pieces seem to be very difficult to procure, requiring a 100% deposit and wait times can vary between 2-8 months (at least in Asia). i got lucky as there was one available piece in the boutique (not a display piece) and I snapped it up right away, before the price increase in Jan this year.
Would love to see an action pic if you are so inclined, @lovepoppy
MBS in Singapore has a large Buccellati boutique. I assume that location has quite a bit, but I have not been inside
Yes! I second that please! 🙏Would love to see an action pic if you are so inclined, @lovepoppy
MBS in Singapore has a large Buccellati boutique. I assume that location has quite a bit, but I have not been inside
