Buccellati Mosaico Collection || Haute Couture Week Paris

Inspired by the colors and shapes of the glass paste tesserae of Byzantine-era mosaics, the Mosaico collection consists of flexible bracelets, bib-necklaces, cocktail rings and pendant earrings.

“I thought of resuming my father’s and my grandfather’s exercise to look at the great works of the past that could provide a strong inspiration,” - says Andrea Buccellati - "and Byzantine mosaics have been a great help to me: the golden backgrounds, the geometric decorations that are never taken for granted, the stylization, the colours and that particular light that permeates the surface and abstracts it. It is a continuous magic”.

The nocturnal, almost surreal atmosphere of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, whose starry sky in a triumph of blue is reminiscent of an enamelled jewel, and the ornamental motifs of the Church of Santa Maria della Croce at Casaranello in Apulia mimic pearls and precious stones, with interlacing, indentations and patterns creating great movement.

The inspiration from Byzantine mosaics takes shape with pavé diamonds and colored gems that catch the light and reflect it in a total splendour. The shapes are modern and unexpected, the repetitions of the decorative elements are rhythmic and harmonious, and the color combinations create effects of surprising elegance.

The decorative mosaic patterns, as mentioned, are not new to Buccellati. The first creations, in fact, with clear reference to mosaics, date back to the founder Mario and then to Gianmaria Buccellati, who created intricated and colourful geometric patterns by mastering very complex goldsmithing techniques and displaying an aesthetic taste of great elegance and refinement.

Some of the new creations are made by using the famous chaining technique, already used by Mario Buccellati in the 1920s, which gives additional flexibility and lightness to the shapes, embellished with multi-colored gems, mainly sapphires, emeralds and rubies.

Buccellati's goldsmith traditions and the great skill of the craftsmen who execute these creations are brought to the highest expression in the Mosaico collection by a unique and inimitable creativity, steeped in the past and projected into a world of timeless beauty. Here, then, jewellery becomes a work of art, to be admired and not just worn.