The aristocratic Italian poet and playwright Gabriele d’Annunzio loved to give gifts. He ordered creations from Mario Buccellati for women, friends and fellow soldiers. So taken was he by the beauty and craftsmanship of the jeweller that, in 1936, he gave Mario the moniker The Prince of Goldsmiths. This proudly held epithet is the name behind Buccellati’s travelling exhibition, which first opened in Venice in 2024, and debuted in Shanghai in December last year.
For its latest showing, Buccellati has added new sections that tell a richer story of its lineage. Family, indeed, is one of its unique strengths: it remains one of the rare heritage luxury houses today with members of the dynasty still active in the company.
Andrea Buccellati and his daughter Lucrezia share creative director and design responsibilities; Maria Cristina Buccellati, sister of Andrea, leads communications and marketing; Gino Buccellati, a brother of Maria Cristina and Andrea, guides the silver division; Luca Buccellati, a cousin of Andrea and Maria Cristina, heads up special sales and VIP clients. The latest fourth-gen joiners include Filippo, a brand ambassador based in Dubai and due to move to Hong Kong in 2026, and Carolina, daughter of Luca, who joined the company in Milan in 2025 and works on sales support.
The exhibition opens with a remarkable example of continuity and evolution. Four butterfly brooches, designed by four generations, show clearly the Buccellati style. From progenitor Mario’s lifelike baroque pearl bug in finely chased silver and gold to the latest by Lucrezia and Andrea that is more figurative, with a body made of a pair of pear-shaped diamonds.
Farther inside, the show explores different facets of the brand’s heritage. Aspects like architecture and nature’s influence, the goldsmith’s tools of the trade, and evolving style across a century.
The house’s impressive silver tradition also gets a moment to shine, with a display of its famed Boscoreale Cups, recreations of excavated Roman artefacts from Pompeii that cemented founder Mario’s reputation as a master of silver. And to showcase its Renaissance-era craft techniques, the brand flew in an artisan from Milan to demonstrate how jewels are engraved, chiselled and detailed by hand.
The Prince of Goldsmiths closes with an exceptionally well-curated section of jewels, organised in vitrines by collections and styles: lace and honeycomb work, the looped gold wire Hawaii line, bombé cocktail rings and more. Curator Alba Cappellieri grouped designs from across generations in these displays, highlighting the aesthetic evolution and coherence of Buccellati jewellery—a look of timelessness that has endured and that which is unique to this jeweller.
The Prince of Goldsmiths: Buccellati Rediscovering the Classics runs from 7 December 2025 to 5 January 2026 at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre.
