Buccellati Releases New High-Jewelry Collection Inspired by Impressionist Paintings

Flowers have entranced artists for centuries; their beauty has been explored in sculptures, paintings, drawings, and, of course, jewelry. The Italian jewelry house, Buccellati, frequently features floral motifs in its collections, including its newest high-jewelry collection. Creative Director Andrea Buccellati exclusively tells us, “Nature, flowers, and leaves have always been sources of inspiration for the Maison and we still are very loyal to these concepts, because they give us the possibility to highlight the handcrafting techniques we use.”

Its latest high-jewelry collection is called Il Giardino di Buccellati, which translates to the garden of Buccellati. Here, Buccellati showcases the beauty of three unique flowers—Euforbia, Delphinium, and Agapanto—in one-of-a-kind pieces. The necklace, earrings, and ring are beautiful, abstract interpretations of these flowers. Buccellati’s talented artisans recreate the flowers’ beauty through engraved precious metals, colored gemstones, and diamonds. 

When designing the collection, Mr. Buccellati thought of some of the most famous gardens in the world, including lovely Italian gardens and gardens immortalized by Impressionist painters. “The gardens of the Impressionist painters are very inspiring, with all their colors and contrasts of light, flowers, and water,” he says. 

He chose to take an abstract approach when designing these floral jewels, rather than a more literal recreation of flowers. This design nods to the flowers’ beauty and colors, but the abstract design allows them to be worn on more occasions. 

In his design process, he first decides on the type of piece he wants to create. “It all depends on the object I want to obtain,” Mr. Buccellati says. “Sometimes it is necessary to recreate abstract flowers, whereas some jewels are inspired by natural flowers, according to the volumes the jewel must have.”

The Buccellati High-Jewelry Collection is Inspired by the Beauty of Nature

For decades, Buccellati’s master artisans have transformed metal through engraving, and these more abstract designs perfectly complement Buccellati’s own signature engraving. They can add texture, create silky finishes, and add delicate honeycomb shapes. “Engraving is a technique that allows us to create lots of nuances and contrasts of light and color,” Mr. Buccellati says. “Also, in this case, it is important to choose the right engraving to achieve a certain effect. To create a natural flower, the segrinato and the rigato engravings allow us to reproduce a natural, real effect.” 

Agapanto Ring

The dramatic Agapanto ring is inspired by the Agapanthus flower. This blue flower isn’t just pretty; it has a secret meaning in the language of flowers. Because it symbolizes a love letter, they are frequently tucked into romantic bouquets of flowers. The ring features a large, oval tanzanite that weighs nearly 19 carats at the center. The tanzanite is set with yellow gold, which is engraved with the segrinato technique. The ring has a fabulous mounting that shows the expertise of Buccellati’s craftspeople. The asymmetric mounting is composed of white gold and 173 diamonds and brings to mind twirling petals and vines entwined around the 18.87-carat tanzanite. 

Euforbia Pendant Necklace

The Euforbia pendant necklace features a 15.05-carat green tourmaline at the center, a nod to the flower’s brilliant green hue. It is bezel-set, and the gold is engraved in the rigato style, as are the irregularly shaped gold frames surrounding the petals. The engraving gives the piece a natural, organic feeling. Each petal is paved with diamonds and has clusters of rose or light-blue sapphires at the top. 

Delphinium Cocktail Earrings

Finally, the Delphinium cocktail earrings pay homage to the towering Delphinium flowers. These unique flowers grow in towers covered in beautiful blooms ranging from deep blue to violet. Buccellati evokes the colors of the petals with two pear-shaped tanzanites. Mr. Buccellati envisioned the Delphinium flowers in a lush garden, so the tanzanites are surrounded by diamonds and emeralds. The emeralds represent green foliage, while the diamonds add brilliance and enhance both colors. “Of course, diamond is the stone that brings more liveliness to the creation,” Mr. Buccellati says. “Therefore, I like using diamonds in flowers, but sometimes pairing them with colored gems that give chromatic nuances that brighten up the jewel.”