MILAN — The jewelry industry is well aware of the importance of passing know-how and artisanal skills down to future generations. Industry association Federorafi recently surveyed the sector and estimated that over the next five years some 3,000 artisans will be lost, equal to about 10 percent of the current workforce.
Milan-based jeweler Buccellati is coming to the rescue, forging ties with the Scuola Orafa Ambrosiana goldsmith school to kick off master courses of 130 hours across four specialties: goldsmithing, chiseling, engraving and microscope stone setting.
As part of the tie-up, the Compagnie Financière Richemont-owned brand is supporting the school established in 1995 and covering the tuition of the six most talented students enrolled in master courses each semester. Additionally, the company is pledging to hire them in its atelier or alternatively to grant access to other jewelry houses within the Richemont stable, including Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels.
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Touring the Buccellati headquarters in Milan where masters in chiseling and engraving turn flat gold slabs into intricate and lace-like cocktail rings, pendants and cuffs, one can easily understand the importance for the house to preserve its know-how.
Known for its intricately hand-engraved and drilled pieces, oftentimes combining yellow and white gold, the brand founded by Mario Buccellati in 1919 was acquired by Richemont in 2019.
This is not the first time the school and the jeweler are partnering. In 2021, Buccellati established the Engraving Academy at the school, sending its own artisans to teach students that craft.