Carolina Bucci (original) (raw)

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Italian jewellery designer

Carolina Bucci (born October 1976) is an Italian fine jewelry designer. Born in Florence, Italy, she lives between London and New York City and is the first female to lead her family's jewelry company.

Carolina Bucci was born in October 1976,[1] in Florence, Italy.

Bucci is the 4th generation in her family line of fine jewelers, which began when her great-grandfather, Ferdinando Bucci, opened a workshop in Florence, Italy, specializing in the sale and repair of gentlemen's pocket watches.[2] He eventually began to make bespoke gold chains to accessorize his clients' timepieces, and from there he moved into the production of fine jewelry. His son, Fosco, took over the business in 1920, by which point they had gained success across Italy, and moved the showroom to Piazza Santo Stefano, next to Florence's Ponte Vecchio.[3][2] After the Second World War, her father grew the business internationally, particularly in the US and Japan, whilst continuing to anchor the manufacture of the jewelry in the family's Florentine workshops.[2]

Following her graduation from FIT where she studied fine arts and jewelry design, Bucci returned to Florence where she launched her first collections: Lucky (a reinvention of the friendship bracelets she made as a child), Woven, a reinvention of centuries-old Florentine textile looms to weave gold and silk threads. She also specializes in the Florentine Finish, her signature gold hammering technique which can be seen throughout her collections, and which she introduced to Audemars Piguet during their collaborations on the Frosted Gold Royal Oak watches.[4][2] Bucci credits her Lucky bracelet's appearance in Sex and the City with launching her career as a designer more broadly.[2]

A selection of her designs are in the permanent jewelry collection of the Palazzo Pitti museum in Florence.[5][6]

2018 also saw the launch of the FORTE beads collection, which debuted in Las Vegas at the Couture Jewelry Show.[3][7][8]

In 2019 Bucci released a series of hand blown glasses, made in collaboration with the Murano glass maker Laguna B, as well as hand carved Carrara marble spheres and the application of her Florentine Finish to homeware pieces.[9] Since then, she has collaborated with fellow Florentine brands Pineider and Loretta Caponi.

In 2016 she announced a collaboration with Audemars Piguet, to redesign their Royal Oak watch with her Florentine finish to celebrate the watch's 40th anniversary.[10][11][2] For her second collaboration with Audemars Piguet in 2018, Bucci once again applied her signature Florentine Finish to the Limited Edition Royal Oak, this time in 18k yellow gold, alongside a silver toned mirror dial, in place of the traditional Tapisserie.[12] From there, in 2020 she created the K.I.S.S (Keep It Super Simple) collection inspired by a fascination with the inner workings of a watch, sold through selected AP Houses and Boutiques worldwide until December 2021 and a part of Carolina Bucci’s core collection. For her third and most recent collaboration in 2022, Bucci designed a limited edition Black Ceramic Selfwinding Royal Oak with a multi-colored mirror effect dial paying tribute to the iconic Tapisserie design.

In 2007 she established her London flagship store and in 2018 relocated it to 22 Motcomb Street.[13][14] Her first flagship in her hometown of Florence opened July 2023, steps away from the historic Ponte Vecchio. Carolina Bucci jewelry is available as well on their online store carolinabucci.com, and at exclusive retail partners Fourtané, Club21, Net-A-Porter, and Matches Fashion.

1. ^ "Carolina BUCCI - Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
2. ^ a b c d e f Vince, Jessica (1 October 2018). "What it's like to be CEO of my family business". Harper's BAZAAR. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
3. ^ a b Vol, Stellene; es (2021-12-18). "These Carolina Bucci Forte Beads Should Be on Your Jewelry Wish List". Retrieved 2022-02-19.
4. ^ "15454BA.GG.1259BA.02 - Royal Oak Collection - Audemars Piguet". Audemars Piguet - Le Brassus. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
5. ^ "Laprendo Presents the Carolina Bucci Collection". Luxury Insider. 17 September 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
6. ^ Loyson, Peter (2021-03-30). Her Story! A Tribute to Italian Women: From Earliest Times to the Present. Covering over 900 Women. African Sun Media. p. 293. ISBN 978-0-620-92275-3.
7. ^ Royce-Greensill, Sarah (23 August 2018). "Carolina Bucci's new Forte Beads collection hits the personalisation sweet spot". The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 May 2019 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
8. ^ "And the Winners of the 2018 Couture Design Awards Are … - National Jeweler". www.nationaljeweler.com. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
9. ^ Edwards, Alice (10 February 2019). "The new launches to know: from Carolina Bucci homewares to the cult Danish jewellery designer Sophie Bille Brahe". Retrieved 10 May 2019 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
10. ^ "Rebirth of an icon: the new Royal Oak ladies' watch from Audemars Piguet". ft.com. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
11. ^ "New - Royal Oak Frosted Gold". Audemars Piguet - Le Brassus. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
12. ^ Seth, Radhika (30 September 2018). "Carolina Bucci Reinvents Audemars Piguet's Classic Royal Oak Watch". British Vogue. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
13. ^ "Jeweller Carolina Bucci – and her trademark bumblebees – descend on Belgravia (Vogue.com UK)". Vogue.co.uk. 2007-05-21. Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
14. ^ "The world of jewellery designer Carolina Bucci - Telegraph". fashion.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 10 May 2019.

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