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.
A Powerful Buccellati Sterling Silver Furry Model of a Bull
By Buccellati
Located in Long Island City, NY, NY
An extraordinary and highly sculptural silver model of a bull by the celebrated Italian Maison Buccellati, renowned worldwide for its unparalleled mastery of surface texture and natu...
Sterling Silver
Desert Majesty: A Majestic Buccellati Sterling Silver Arabian Oryx
By Buccellati
Located in Long Island City, NY, NY
Desert Majesty: A Majestic Buccellati Sterling Silver Arabian Oryx A masterful creation by the renowned Italian house of Buccellati, this exceptional sterling silver model depicts t...
Sterling Silver
Buccellati Sterling Silver Bird Sculpture
By Buccellati
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
A finely modeled Sterling Silver bird sculpture by Buccellati, with beautifully textured plumage and a highly naturalistic silhouette. An elegant...
Sterling Silver
Buccellati Sterling Silver duck figurine
By Buccellati
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Sterling silver duck sculpture by Buccellati, with superb feather detailing and a refined naturalistic silhouette. An elegant and highly decorative Italian silver object. Hallmarked...
Sterling Silver
Buccelatti Sterling Silver Chick
By Buccellati
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Handmade in Italy. Hallmarked and stamped "Buccelatti."
Sterling Silver
Pair of Buccellati Sterling Silver Sparrow Figures
By Buccellati
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A finely crafted pair of sterling silver sparrow figures by Buccellati, masterfully executed in the firm’s signature naturalistic style. Each bird is richly textured with hand-chased...
Sterling Silver
High-Spire Seashell with Sterling Silver Overlay
By Buccellati
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine vintage silvered sea shell. Comprising a high spire sea shell with silver overlay throughout. In the style of Ruzzetti & Gow or Buccellati. The ...
Silver
Sterling Silver Bracelet "Isadora" by Jacques Jarrige
By Jacques Jarrige
Located in New York, NY
This bracelet in sterling silver is hand-hammered. It is also available in gold-plated brass. Jarrige's jewelry is more companion than ornament, heightening one's physical awarene...
Sterling Silver
Ceramic Bird Sculpture
Located in San Diego, CA
Ceramic bird, it appears to be made of metal. The color is rusty brown with some black variations on top. The beak is orange with crackled finish and bla...
Clay
Bird Sculpture
Located in Antwerp, BE
Brass bird sculpture. Measures: Width 42 cm. Height 20 cm. Depth 18 cm. Weight 2 kg.
Brass
$22,800Sale Price|20% Off
H 9.5 in W 7.5 in D 6.5 in
Mario Buccellati .800 Silver Italian Parrot Bird Statue Figurine Italy
By Mario Buccellati
Located in San Diego, CA
Stunning vintage original Mario Buccellati Italian .800 silver furry parrot bird statue/figurine. Signed on one of the leaves. Made in Milano, Ital...
Sterling Silver
$35,037 / set
H 15.36 in W 21.66 in D 7.09 in
Pair of Bronze Models of a Standing Bull and a Running Cow, circa 1890
By Isidore Jules Bonheur, Francois Auguste Hippolyte Peyrol 1
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A pair of large and finely patinated bronze models of a standing bull and a running cow after models by Isidor-Jules Bonheur, Cast on a Naturalistic Base. French, circa 1890. Signed 'I BONHEUR' and stamped 'PEYROL EDITEUR'. Bonheur was a regular exhibitor at the Paris Salon and his naturalistic depiction of farm animals, including cattle, was one of his most popular subjects. The bronze was cast by his brother-in-law, Hippolyte Peyrol, who ran one of the most successful art foundries in Paris at this time. Isidore-Jules Bonheur (1827-1901) was the son of the painter Raymond Bonheur and younger brother of Rosa Bonheur, the famous sculptor. He was born in Bordeaux and studied painting, at first with his father and then with the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, moving on to sculpture in 1848. He made his debut at the Paris Salon in 1848 with a painting and plaster study of the same subject ‘African horseman attacked by a lioness’. From then onwards, Bonheur exhibited regularly at the Salon as well as other exhibitions, winning medals in 1865 and 1869 together with the prized Gold Medal at the Exposition Universelle of 1889. He was awarded the Legion d’Honneur in 1895. Most of Bonheur’s casts were by his uncle by marriage, Hippolyte Peyrol, whose tiny foundry mark is often very difficult to find. Bonheur’s studies range from farm animals, bears and tigers in a very naturalistic vein to equestrian groups. Although noted primarily for his small groups he did complete two large scale commissions, one to his sister Rosa, at Fontainbleau and the other, two stone lions at the steps of the Royal...
Bronze
$895
H 4.88 in W 7 in D 7 in
Scully & Scully New York - Sterling Clad Spiky Conch Shell - Natural Sculpture
By Scully, Buccellati
Located in St. Louis, MO
Large Luxurious Sterling Clad Spiky Conch Shell in the manner of Buccellati. Sterling Silver applied over natural sea conch shell. Marked "Scully & Scully New York" to the unders...
Sterling Silver
$2,950
H 19.53 in W 15.28 in D 26.78 in
Vintage Asprey Sterling Silver Figural Pekingese Dog Model or Paperweight
By Asprey International Limited
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine signed English silver dog figurine. By Asprey. In sterling silver. In the form of a Pekingese dog. Marked to the base and hallmarked to the dog's flank. Simply wonderful ...
Sterling Silver
Armadillo Sterling Silver Lighter
By Fratelli Lisi
Located in Milan, IT
Playful true-to-life silver armadillo that serves as a lighter other than being a decorative artwork in its own right. Expertly made by the Florentine...
Sterling Silver
The Frog Sterling Silver Lighter
By Fratelli Lisi
Located in Milan, IT
Playful true to life silver frog that serves as a lighter other than being a decorative piece of artwork. Expertly handmade by the Florentine silversmiths, the Lisi Brothers, its rea...
Sterling Silver
Vintage Buccellati Sterling Silver Figural Leaf Bowl or Vide Poche
By Tiffany & Co., Buccellati, Cartier
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine signed Italian silver bowl or vide poche. By Buccellati. In sterling silver. From the Natura series. In the form of a leaf (possibly a Maple or Geranium leaf) supported by...
Sterling Silver
Italian St Silver Sparrow Bird Figurine By Buccellati
By Mario Buccellati
Located in Long Island City, NY
A vintage Italian sterling silver sparrow bird figurine by Mario Buccellati Jewelry House. The bird is crafted from sterling silver with detailed feather texture made in the Furry te...
Silver
A Whimsical Family of Three Buccellati Sterling Silver Ducks
By Buccellati
Located in Long Island City, NY, NY
A Whimsical Family of Three Buccellati Sterling Silver Ducks A delightful and finely crafted set of three sterling silver “furry” ducks by Buccellati, Italy. Each naturalistically modeled and intricately hand-chased to create the lifelike texture of soft feathers, a signature technique of Buccellati’s master silversmiths. The ducks vary in size, forming an endearing family grouping that perfectly captures the maison’s celebrated blend of artistry, charm, and realism. Renowned for their exceptional silverwork, Buccellati is especially admired for these whimsical animal sculptures...
Cut Steel
Sterling Silver Swan Bird by Buccellati Italy
By Buccellati
Located in Long Island City, NY
Sterling silver Swan bird by Buccellati Bird is in glide mode with flipped back paddle feet and head tilted slightly to side with intent gaze....
Sterling Silver
Buccellati Italy, a Set of Three Silver Models of the Wise Monkeys
By Buccellati
Located in Long Island City, NY, NY
Buccellati Italy, a set of three silver models of the wise monkeys: See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil by Mario Buccellati, Milan, 20th century Each seated, realistically depicted with textured fur, embodying the proverb "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil;" each marked underneath "800" and also with import marks. Part of the Buccellati furry...
Silver
Sold
H 9.5 in W 4.25 in D 2 in
Italian Buccellati Figural Sterling Silver Full Size Corn, 6.74 Toz, c1940
By Buccellati
Located in Big Flats, NY
An Italian sterling silver full size figural sculpture of a corn on the cob by Buccellati, 6.74 toz sterling silver 925/1000, maker mark as photographed, circa 1940. Measures - 9.5...
Sterling Silver
Italian Silver Fuzzy Animal Figure of a Squirrel by Buccellati
By Buccellati
Located in Long Island City, NY, NY
An Italian silver fuzzy animal figure of a squirrel by Buccellati, circa 1950. Good condition. Illegibly signed on the bottom paw of squirrel. Measures: 4.5" high x 5" wid...
Silver