The grand unveiling of the collection took place in the intimate setting of the Hotel Salomon de Rothschild, which is near the l’Arc de Triomph and is itself considered a historical monument. The evening turned out to be entertaining and really rather lively, with something intriguing waiting for you in every hall. Arriving at the top of the main stairs, I entered a hall full of huge prints hanging on the walls featuring the new ad campaign. The photos were touching and tasteful, featuring the cultural highlights and finest vistas of Milan: the Duomo (cathedral), the Museo del Novecento, Camparino bar, the house of the writer Alessandro Manzoni and the Four Seasons Hotel restaurant.
Behind the pictures, a huge, brightly lit hallway opened out onto a terrace where a bar had been set up for the guests to enjoy a soft drink or cocktail under the caressing summer sun. In the next room was a huge cube containing a video installation, which at first glance seemed to be simply an installation to advertise the new Opera collection, however it was actually a case containing new jewellery displayed inside it behind glass windows.
Before I continue my tour through the Hotel Salomon de Rothschild, I want to tell you a little about these new jewellery designs. Opera comprises a mixture of different pieces: chain link charm bracelets and cuff bracelets, necklaces and sautoirs, long earrings and studs, as well as cocktail rings. The pieces vary greatly in size and use all sorts of different materials: white, yellow and pink gold, some with diamonds, some without, with a couple of the most eye-catching featuring sapphires and emeralds.
Inspiration for the collection comes from Buccellati’s logo, with its fine winding lines and balanced shapes. The underlying design concept is influenced by Renaissance and Venetian architecture, while the name, Opera, calls to mind the works of the great Italian composers, Giuseppe Verdi, Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini. It carries strong echoes of a key landmark of Buccellati’s home town, Milan’s famous theatre, La Scala. The brand was founded in Milan in 1919, and it is here that it had its first boutique, over one hundred years ago.
Continuing my walk from hall to hall, in the third room I came across windows displaying the very finest work by the Jewellery House, along with two work benches with jewellers working behind them. The new cuff bracelets a personal work of passion by Andrea Buccellati himself, were resplendent behind their glass windows alongside the striking coloured gemstone cocktail earrings and rings. All of the pieces were one-of-a-kind thanks to the combination of stones and complex engraving techniques used – techniques which the jewellers were busy showing off live.
Opera is an extended collection with a strong sense of character and a unique style, giving off an air of prestige, elegance and feminine charm. These characteristics are the embodiment of the Buccellati brand, shared, through their sense of style and eternal beauty, with the whole world. Like the House’s many other collections, Opera will never stop growing, taking on new designs and interpretations every day.
