Buccellati Wide Full Diamond Bracelet

In 1919, Mario Buccellati (1891–1965) launched his eponymous jewelry house with the opening of his first shop in Milan and quickly built a reputation for his richly embellished traforato, or finely pierced goldwork. The Ancona, Italy–born jeweler’s workmanship was in a class of its own. His pieces were exquisite, yet the gemstones themselves were never too flashy, elevated instead by the designs’ intricate metalsmithing.

A love of tradition set Mario and his fine jewelry house apart in the competitive Italian market and remains a point of pride for the family, which is still closely tied to the business even as it is now owned by Richemont, a luxury conglomerate that also counts Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels among its subsidiaries.

A young Mario Buccellati apprenticed with famed goldsmith Beltrami e Besnati in the early 1900s, although many of the goldsmithing techniques synonymous with Buccellati go as far back as the Italian Renaissance. The family lineage is also said to include 18th-century jeweler Contardo Buccellati.

Owing to the founder’s advanced metalworking skills, the brand is known for designs that feature metal with the delicacy of lace and draw on the wonders of the natural world. The house’s work is typified by intricate gemstone settings that emphasize their natural color and dense engraving techniques that transform the texture of gold.

One of the time-honored engraving techniques that has come to characterize Buccellati’s work — techniques that require apprenticeships and training in the fine jeweler’s workshops — is called rigato. It involves the engraving of a precious metal with a series of parallel lines to achieve a fabric-like effect.

Rigato is on luminous display in the house’s Macri collection of earrings, cuff bracelets and other accessories. A painstaking attention to detail is pronounced in the celebrated Macri, Bartolomeo and Unica collections — witness the striking honeycomb motif, a house signature, that characterizes the Unica collection’s Caterina bracelet, for example.

The Macri collection was the work of Mario’s son, Gianmaria Buccellati, an award-winning jeweler and internationally renowned silversmith who worked to bring the brand to the global stage by overseeing the opening of boutiques in Tokyo, Paris, California and elsewhere.

In 1951, Mario opened his first store in New York City; today the company operates boutiques worldwide. In 2019, the company celebrated its centennial with a new flagship in Paris and the Vintage collection, which features some of its most enduring designs.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of authentic Buccellati jewelry, including earrings, necklaces, rings and other accessories.

There is no shortage of iconic bracelet designs out there: Cartier’s Love bracelet, the widely admired Panthère, the Croisillon bracelet crafted by Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co., to name a few. And while you don’t necessarily need one of history’s most coveted versions of this accessory, you’re likely going to want at least a reliable collection of vintage cuff bracelets in your jewelry box.

Cuff bracelets are fashion staples. This stylish go-to — a rigid bracelet, open or outfitted with a clasp that snaps shut, understated and unadorned or enameled and flecked with gemstones — goes back thousands of years.

Cuffs were worn by Greek and Roman soldiers as they headed into battle as well as by the men and women of Ancient Egypt as statement-making jewelry. In ancient China, jade was considered the most precious of stones, and a jade cuff bracelet or bangle was associated with purity and goodness. Jewelers also employed jade, as well as coral and lapis lazuli, during the Art Deco period, finding inspiration in all kinds of influences and frequently working geometric motifs into their Art Deco cuff bracelets.

Today, people love how a bejeweled cuff bracelet elevates a simple jeans-and-T-shirt ensemble or that a minimalist one pairs with formal wear so well. Indeed, it’s a fine finishing touch whether you’re dining with friends in your neighborhood or pairing your silver or gold cuff with an elegant evening dress on the red carpet.

On 1stDibs, find a wide variety of vintage cuff bracelets today.