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Majestic Jewels from Master Craftsman, Gianmaria Buccellati

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Sotheby’s will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Buccellati house with an auction of 26 jewels and accessories on 29 October in Paris, along with an outstanding exhibition of 21 pieces tracing the fascinating history of the celebrated Italian jeweler. The sale features jewels which were designed and created by Gianmaria Buccellati, some of which drew inspiration from original drawings by his father Mario Buccellati. Click the image above to see a selection.

Past Auction
Joaillerie Paris
29 October 2019 | 2:30 PM CET | Paris

Majestic Jewels from Master Craftsman, Gianmaria Buccellati

  • Citrine and amethyst demi-parure, 'Jacqueline', Gianmaria Buccellati, 1988 & 1990. Estimate €20,000–30,000.
    Gianmaria Buccellati reinterprets the delicate jewelled parures of the 1830s and 1840s in a bold new chromatic combination, with beautifully observed grape vine leaves chased with Renaissance-style Segrinato and Rigato engraving encircling deep violet amethysts (45.64 carats), and warm golden citrines (46.19 carats).
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  • Gold and silver brooch, ‘Ghiande’, Gianmaria Buccellati, 2010. Estimate €3,000–5,000.
    Traditional symbols of health, strength and fertility, acorns were a favourite motif for Mario Buccellati, who created a series of brooches inspired by them. Gianmaria inherited his father’s love for acorns, and they have ever since been a recurring motif in Buccellati’s jewels. In addition to their powerful symbolism, the chromatic and textural contrasts found naturally within acorns allow Buccellati to showcase their extraordinary range of finishing techniques - the smoothness of the acorns is rendered in yellow gold with Rigato engraving, while the roughness of their cupules is depicted in silver, all framed by delicately rendered oak leaves in rose gold with Segrinato engraving.
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  • Sapphire, ruby and diamond necklace, 'Anthurium', Gianmaria Buccellati, 1993. Estimate €7,000–14,000.
    In this creation, Gianmaria Buccellati combines inspiration from the lace necklaces of Renaissance aristocratic dress with the naturalist influences so dear to the Buccellati House. The five yellow gold elements of this necklace are set with a total of 610 rubies (18.54 carats), and depict a string of anthurium flowers, each with a pearshaped round sapphire at its centre. This row of blooms is supported by a chevron-link chain which is additionally engraved with the meticulous attention to detail brought to each component of this jewel.
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  • Cultured pearl, emerald and diamond demi-parure, 'Bouquet', Gianmaria Buccellati, 1997 & 2009. Estimate €35,000–45,000.
    Like a modern-day Benvenuto Cellini, Gianmaria Buccellati is inspired by the beauty of nature and expertly recreates the natural world in precious and rare materials. As seen in several of his works, he uses the Segrinato engraving technique enhanced with white gold veins to lend a level of tactile realism to each of his exquisitely rendered leaves. To this he also adds the use of silver set with rose cut diamonds in the 18th century style to give depth and contrast to this necklace. Arranged like a bouquet around fruits and flowers set with emeralds and pearls, this rich and opulent creation is also extraordinarily supple and flexible, embodying not only Buccellati’s mastery of texture, naturalism and colour, but also their understanding of wearability and comfort.
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  • Pair of gem set and opal ear clips, 'Optical', Gianmaria Buccellati, 1977. Estimate €2,000–4,000.
    This striking pair of ear clips are set with iridescent opals within borders of pavé-set rubies, emeralds and sapphires. A riot of colour, they draw inspiration from the 1970s, when vivid colour schemes and the hallucinatory patterns of Op Art were at the height of fashion. The reverse of the setting is equally detailed, with intricately patterned Ornato engraving.
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  • Gem set and yellow sapphire brooch/pendant, 'Mosaico', Gianmaria Buccellati, 1990. Estimate €8,000–16,000.
    The patterns of pierced lace and embroidered damask from Renaissance Venice have been central to Buccellati’s groundbreaking aesthetic ever since Mario’s first ventures into jewelry design. Gianmaria has continued to channel these influences, creating this convertible brooch / pendant set with 110 rubies (1.36 carats), 97 sapphires (1.52 carats) and 123 emeralds (1.56 carats) centred on a bright 12.77 carat yellow oval sapphire.
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  • Chrome tourmaline and diamond brooch, 'Lago Verde', Gianmaria Buccellati, 2000. Estimate €4,000–7,000.
    Gianmaria Buccellati’s love for pure colour is demonstrated in his choice of an extraordinary chrome tourmaline weighing 2.77 carats to form the centre of this floral brooch, enlivened with white and yellow gold and matching yellow and colourless diamonds. The vivid green of the tourmaline recalls the magical shades of its namesake Lago Verde, a small natural lake famed for its colour between the French and the Italian border, in Piedmont.
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  • Aquamarine, emerald and ruby necklace, 'Gran Mogol', Gianmaria Buccellati, 1992. Estimate €16,000–24,000.
    The Mughal emperors, who ruled India between 1526 and 1707, are remembered not only for their successful expansionist ambitions, but also for the splendours of their imperial court, their lavish patronage of art and architecture, and also for their influence on Indian jewelry, which reached new heights of beauty, opulence and creativity under their reign. Gianmaria Buccellati was inspired by this movement in Indian jewellery to create the ‘Gran Mogol’ necklace, fusing these influences seamlessly with the Renaissance textile patterning which is one of the hallmarks of Buccellati’s signature style.
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  • Gold and diamond powder box, 'Confetto', Gianmaria Buccellati, 1999. Estimate €4,000–7,000.
    Among Buccellati’s many creations, their powder compacts and vanity cases are perhaps among the most treasured, with their smooth surfaces acting as the perfect canvas for Buccellati’s artisans to flaunt their superb array of engraving techniques. This tactile powder compact is no exception - Gianmaria Buccellati has employed Telato engraving on the smooth exterior, and highlighted it with a constellation of stars in the Ornato technique, each enhanced with a diamond at its centre.
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  • Seed pearl and diamond necklace, 'Charleston', Gianmaria Buccellati, 1988. Estimate €8,000–10,000.
    The profusion of pearls in this necklace recalls the fashions and music of the 1920s, an era where women grew increasingly daring in their personal style, wearing long pearl necklaces and fringed dresses that moved as they danced to jazz. The music was exciting and new, full of improvisation, experimentation and unexpected harmonies. Buccellati have added their own unexpected twist to this necklace, contrasting the delicate pearls with strikingly textured gold elements enhanced with zig-zags of diamonds at the top and base of the tassel pendant. Gianmaria Buccellati is once again inspired here by the creations of the past, while reinterpreting them to fit his own creative vision.
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