Italy is known for its gold jewelry, with the art of jewelry making dating back to the Etruscan civilization in Etruria, Italy. By the Roman era, the gems that are used today had already been discovered and jewelry had become quite popular.
Today, the Italian government imposes strict quality measures in the jewelry industry.
With skilled craftsmen creating these exquisite Italian jewelries by hand and the quality and distinct color of the sought-after Italian gold, it’s no surprise Italy is the world leader in gold jewelry. One is assured that every jewelry piece is unique, stunning, and finely-detailed, no matter what brand they’re picking.
11 Best Italian Jewelry Brands You Should Know
If you’re looking to buy or just curious to know the best Italian jewelry brands money can buy, here’s a list we’ve handpicked for you.
1. Buccellati
Noted for its fine jewelry, luxury watches, silverware, and bridal and engagement rings, Buccellati is a high jewelry house established in 1919 in Milan, Italy. Its founder was a master goldsmith, Mario Buccellati. After his death in 1965, four of his five sons inherited the management of the firm.
In 1971, one of Mario’s sons, Gianmaria Buccellati launched his own eponymous brand. Forty years later, Gianmaria Buccellati merged with the Buccellati brand and reshaped the company.
The Buccellati name is synonymous with heritage, luxury, innovation, and impeccable quality and craftsmanship. This Italian jewelry brand won’t disappoint.
One of Buccellati’s most notable clients in its early years was the Italian poet and aristocrat Gabriele D’Annunzio, who gifted Buccellati pieces to his friends and lovers.
Today, Buccelati’s best-known clients include Katy Perry, Cindy Bruna, Jane Fonda, and Zhang Ziyi.
2. Roberto Coin
This celebrated Italian luxury jewelry brand is known for its super expensive pieces.
And yes, every penny spent on a Roberto Coin is totally worth it considering the superb quality of every piece, the history behind the brand, and the limitless creativity and cause-related culture of its designer.
So it’s no wonder Roberto Coin pieces are worn by famous celebrities like Sophia Vergara, Oprah Winfrey, Kate McKinnon, and Michelle Obama.
But did you know that designer Roberto Coin wasn’t always in the luxury jewelry business? He started his career in the hotel business. He was 32 when he sold all his possessions and settled in the northeastern Italian city of Vicenza to learn the craft of jewelry making. According to their website, the Roberto Coin brand was born in 1996.
Vicenza, known as the “City of Gold,” is the world’s number one in gold jewelry and the center of Italy’s 18k gold industry. Numerous Roberto Coin collections are inspired by this city and Italy itself.
All Roberto Coin pieces of jewelry are still designed and made in Italy.
3. Pomellato
Pomellato, the first global luxury Italian jewelry brand, was founded in 1967 by Pino Rabolini in the city of Milan. The brand has earned a cult following for their luxurious collections that are casual and comfortable.
Pomellato introduced the concept of off-the-rack jewelry. This means that pieces of jewelry should be worn like clothes any time of the day and changed as one wishes, not just as a status symbol. However, it has essentially become exactly that — a status symbol — because Pomellato jewelry now ranks in the world’s top 5 best-sellers.
Pomellato pieces, while not costume jewelry items, are distinguished by their colorful stones, as well as their tactile and rounded forms. They are a sure conversation starter.
4. Delfina Delettrez
If there’s one brand on this list with pieces that are considered comprehensive works-of-art rather than merchandise, you’re looking at it. So don’t be surprised to see Delfina Delettrez’ pieces for the permanent collection at the Louvre’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
Founding her eponymous jewelry brand in 2007 in her home city of Rome, jewelry designer Delfina Delettrez is a fourth-generation heiress of the Fendi family, a name you and I know to be among the largest Italian fashion luxury brands.
Delfina Delettrez jewelry is known for gothic, surrealist designs and occult motifs. The designer uses eye, hands and lips, as well as animals in her designs.
Among this fine Italian jewelry brand’s most notable clients are Beyoncé, Rihanna, Charlize Theron, Alicia Vikander, and Kate Hudson.
Delfina Delettrez pieces are all handmade in Rome.
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5. FOPE
The company has been around since 1929, when Umberto Cazzola founded the company that is known today as FOPE. At the time, Cazzola’s goldsmith’s workshop created metal straps for Swiss watches.
It was in 1985 that the company created the Novecento mesh that revolutionized the way women wear their jewelry. The roll-on mesh chain became a must-have to keep on the wrist all day.
This mesh jewelry range that’s highly distinctive and instantly recognizable has since become this Italian jewelry brand’s icon.
6. Damiani
Damiani made in the news in 2002, when the world’s most famous couple at the time, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, sued the Italian jewelry brand for a violation of an agreement against the reproduction of the couple’s wedding rings. Said knock-offs were sold as “Brad and Jennifer white-gold wedding bands with diamonds.” The dispute was settled for a whopping $50 million.
Established in 1924 by Enrico Grassi Damiani in Valenza, Italy, this Italian luxury jewelry brand designs, manufactures, distributes, and sells jewelry and luxury watches.
Damiani is known for its modern and unique pieces. It is the only company in the world to have received as many as 18 Diamonds International Awards, the so-called Oscars for jewelry.
7. Marco Bicego
Italian jewelry designer Marco Bicego hails from a family of goldsmiths. In 1958, his father, Giuseppe Bicego, founded the Bicego Factory in Trissino, Italy. After years of working and apprenticing with his father, Marco launched his namesake brand in 2000.
Marco Bicego creates jewelry that represents the family heritage and the Old World Italian craftsmanship combined with contemporary design. Their exquisite pieces are delicately handcrafted by artisans in Vicenza, Italy, with the traditional “bulino” technique which gives a fine, brushed texture to the gold. They use combinations of natural gems, making sure no two pieces are alike.
Bicego pieces have been worn by famous personalities such as Jennifer Lopez, Kate Winslet, and Hilary Clinton.
8. Pasquale Bruni
The designer behind the eponymous Italian jewerly brand, Pasquale Bruni, started young. In his teens, he began working in the workshops of the Valenza Po, a city in the Northern Italian region of Piedmont that’s noted for being the center of craft jewelry making.
At age 20, Bruni crafted his first jewelry collections that showcased his extraordinary creative flair. Since then his designs became known for their simple yet unique shapes, with rare gems that illustrate the out-of-the-ordinary yet coordinated style. His collections are modern, elegant, and discreet — all created with extreme attention to detail.
Every Pasquale Bruni piece, all delightful and breathtaking, is meticulously handcrafted in Valenza, Italy, since 1976.
This Italian jewelry brand is said to be favored by Lady Gaga, Dita Von Tease, Jennifer Lopez, and Monica Bellucci.
9. Mattioli
Mattioli has been producing the finest quality jewelry in since 1860. It holds the most prestigious hallmark “1TO,” meaning the first and most ancient goldsmith in the northern Italian province of Turin (Torino). Its production was never interrupted for over 150 years.
The Mattioli family acquired the company in 1995. Five years later, Licia Mattioli launched her first line of handmade luxury jewelry.
A lawyer by training, Ms. Mattioli’s personality is akin to the brand’s design — possessing “a very strong personality,” lively and sophisticated but feminine at the same time. The original and distinctive collections are her telling of “travel, art and inspiration, and unique moments in every woman’s life.”
Each Mattioli jewelry piece is unique, eclectic, and 100% handcrafted in Italy — a permanent signature of Italian elegance. These jewels are versatile and interchangeable, which means they can be worn time and time again.
10. Santagostino
This exquisite Italian jewelry brand was founded by Leonardo and Angela Corti in Valenza, Italy, in 1969. It offers unique creations spawned by a mix of life and surreal beauty — art works one can wear.
The complexity of every minute detail is seen in every Santagostino piece. A single jewel can come with up to 20 varieties of gem, all differently cut, and set in elaborate golden threads.
All Santagostino jewelry pieces are whimsical with a burst of colors, making one think of candy forests — complete with flowers, fruits, and bugs.
11. Bulgari
Stylized as BVLGARI, this Italian jewelry brand also produces luxury watches, perfumes, leather goods, eyewear, and accessories.
Bulgari’s name is derived from its founder, Sotirios Voulgaris (Italian: Sotirio Bulgari), a Greek silversmith who moved to Rome, Italy, in 1881 and opened his first store there in 1884. It was an antique jewelry shop that sold original Art Deco-style jewelry designs.
Bulgari introduced the now-iconic Serpenti watch in the 1940s. They expanded to fragrances, eyewear, and leather accessories from the early to mid-1990s, then to watches in 2000. Now Bulgari also has hotels in major destinations like Bali, Beijing, Dubai, London, and Milan — and more to come.
Known for their visionary craftsmanship, stunning gems, and award-winning designs, Bulgari has become quite a favorite among celebrities. Some of their famous clients include Keira Knightley, Lady Gaga, Nicole Kidman, and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.