A DIAMOND AND ENAMEL NOVELTY BROOCH, BY LUNATI,...

A DIAMOND AND ENAMEL NOVELTY BROOCH, BY LUNATI, CIRCA 1965

Modelled as an owl's head, embellished throughout with white, green, blue and brownish-orange enamel accented with single-cut diamonds, mounted in 18K gold, Italian assay mark '160 AL' for Lunati between 1944-1968, length 3.7cm, width 3.7cm

With almost 85 years of experience in the art of jewellery, Italian jewellery house Lunati has a long tradition of craftsmanship. The atelier made its start as a goldsmith in Valenza, in 1937, under the direction of Piero Lunati. Piero was soon joined by his brother Giulio, whose excellent people skills and infectious enthusiasm allowed the company to build a network of contacts within the leading jewellery houses in Italy. Although most businesses during the war years struggled to stay afloat, the Lunati brothers not only succeeded in making ends meet but in fact heightened their production rates and continued to expand, hiring and training a wealth of highly skilled workers. Their expansion during the 1940s gave Lunati somewhat of a head-start once the impact of the war had subsided, allowing the brand to establish itself in Italy and further afield. In the mid 80’s Giulio’s son, Gianluca Lunati, became director of the company and is still leading the family business today, alongside Pietro’s daughter Daniela.

This drawing has been kindly supplied to us from the archives of Lunati Gioielli in their workshop in Valenza, Italy. This charming owl brooch was made originally as part of Lunati’s company production, and was worked on as a collaborative effort by several of the atelier’s masterworkers. The production of Lunati’s owl brooches started in the late 1950s, and were inspired by similar creations in fellow workshops in neighbouring France. They continued to be made into the early 70s, signifying just how popular the bright enamelling and skilful metalwork of this brooch was to clientele in Italy for a period of over 15 years. Today, vintage pieces by Lunati have seen a resurgence. The jewellery house continues to draw from their archival material to meet the needs of contemporary clients, even reproducing some of their popular vintage pieces upon request.