MADE IN ITALY

 Jewellery-making has long been at the heart of Florentine culture.

Lorenzo the Magnificent was a collector of gold jewellery and instrumental in establishing the goldsmith trade here in the 1400s. Goldsmiths’ studios took up much of Via Por Santa Maria before expanding into Ponte Vecchio. The quality of their work was strictly vetted by the guilds. Artisans we’re obliged to work in public view.

Sculptors, artists and architects often had their initial training in goldsmith studios. Brunelleschi, Donatello, Ghiberti, Botticelli and Verocchio (Leonardo da Vinci’s master) are just a handful of those who began as goldsmiths before creating the Renaissance’s greatest buildings and most memorable sculptures and paintings.

In the next century, Benvenuto Cellini made goldsmithing an infamous profession, writing about the secrets of his profession in his controversial biography. In 1593 the Medici Duke, Ferdinando 1st brought goldsmiths and jewellers to Ponte Vecchio. They have remained there ever since. Throughout this period, gold ornaments and accessories were just as popular as they are today: buckles, brooches, hair pins, garlands, medals and cameos were all common accessories.

Today, Italy is one of the top producers of fine gold jewellery in the world, with the majority of gold production concentrated in central and northern Italy. In Tuscany, the town of Arezzo is one of the world’s most important centres of gold jewellery production, a tradition that dates back to the city’s ancient Etruscan roots. The dexterity and attention to detail of the Renaissance craftsmen survives to this day.

It’s because of this heritage and quality that every Amanda Marcucci piece is made in Italy, by the best in the world.