Carolina Bucci Florentine Fine Jewelry Opens First U.S. Store at the Montecito Country Mart

Fourth-generation jewelry designer and founder of her brand, Carolina Bucci decided upon the Montecito Country Mart as her first United States retail store location. This is her third store, following her landmark store in her hometown of Florence, Italy, and her second location in London, England, where she currently resides with her husband, James, and their children.

I met Bucci at her store opening on Thursday, October 30, notably the same day as her birthday. A definitive Italian fashionista, she was impeccably dressed in a soft white T-shirt, jeans, and a yellow oversized blazer, adorned with earrings, bracelets, and necklaces from her jewelry line.

When I arrived, Bucci was conversing with Montecito Country Mart (MCM) Owner James Rosenfield. MCM Manager Kristin Teufel made our introduction. The first moment you walk into Carolina Bucci, you are transported to Italy for certain. The refinement in layout, furnishings, lighting, and the brass inlay floor are most akin to the finest couturiers of Milan.

I inquired how she arrived upon her decision to open her first U.S. store here in our beloved Montecito. Bucci said, “I’ve been a big fan of the Brentwood Country Mart for many years. And I think at some point our ears must have been ringing [hers and Rosenfield’s] because you [Rosenfield] reached out to us to tell us about all your projects. So, we decided to meet, we came here, and I fell in love. [Laughs.] I’m a very gut-feeling person, so this is our first store in the U.S., but it needed to be somewhere that felt like home. For me, I’m from Florence. Here it feels a bit like Tuscany, and I’m obsessed with cacti. [Rosenfield took her to Lotusland.] The Montecito Country Mart feels like the perfect community and a center of this beautiful place. My favorite word that I live by and that describes my brand is ‘sprezzatura,’ an Italian word for the art of effortlessness. To make something appear effortless, there is a ton of work behind it. This whole store was built in Milan by the same people that built our Florence store, and we shipped it over. For me it was important that the store looks like it has been here forever, not a pop-up. We are very happy to have our new home here.”

Smiling, Rosenfield added, “It is truly an honor and privilege for us to have Carolina’s first U.S. store here at the Montecito Country Mart. We search far and wide for stores like Carolina Bucci, who operate beautiful, special shops in Florence, Italy, and London, England. Carolina always performs at an exceptionally high level. Her boutiques are luxurious and chic, the jewelry is elegant yet casual, and the service is impeccable. We hope the customers here in Montecito will love it. My wife and I first saw Carolina’s store in London and were immediately smitten. We thought that this could really work well in California. What she’s done that is so interesting is bring a luxurious European design and pair it with primitive California casualness. I think it fits perfectly into the Country Mart. For example, she
polished the concrete floors, maintaining all the scars and other blemishes, and added her name to the floor with hand-cut inlaid brass. Carolina’s great-grandfather started the family jewelry business in Florence, Italy, in 1885! When Carolina and I spoke about possibly opening here in Montecito, we had to meet with her father first before proceeding. On the Zoom call he offered us ‘the very best of luck in our new business venture together.’”

After a few photo ops with me, Bucci generously provided a hands-on walk-through of her jewelry collections in the store, saying, “We are not a seasonal brand. I don’t make things for a season and then they are gone. Everything is made in our Florence-based family workshops. I launched my brand in 2002 with the ‘Lucky Collection’ [aka friendship bracelets], which are 18k gold chains woven by hand with silk threads into bracelets and have charms that mean love, health, peace, protection, and so on. It is still as relevant today as it was then.”

The collections use different colors of 18k gold and finishes such as a Florentine finish made by a diamond-tipped tool and a patina finish for the “EveryDay” collection. Her hoop and huggie earrings are customized with charms or additional hoops. Each collection has a printed booklet about its history, meaning, design choices, and jewelry care. Receiving much attention at the opening was the FORTE bead bracelet, made on the spot, with the customer selecting from 29 semi-precious and hard stones strung on gold-tipped lurex cords. The bracelet is tied to the wrist; Bucci is not a fan of clasps.

We finished with the K.I.S.S. Collection, a rings collection, and her craft fragrance called “Villa Colombo,” named after her family home in Italy, with the label designed by her grandmother. Bucci said, “I wanted to recreate the smell of the end of summer. You know, I actually smelled it here when I visited Montecito a few years ago, which is another reason why it felt right about opening in Montecito. You can purchase it as a liquid for a diffuser or as a candle; both are in Murano glass with a Florentine
paper design.”

Seen at the opening were Heather Rosenfield, owner of Poppy Store, with her besties producer-attorney Ashley Underwood David, Emily Nelson, and Lisa Lloyd. Also attending were Ron Brand, owner of Mate Gallery, with his latest mini-Mate tote in hand. Carolina Bucci’s store manager is a local, Suzanne Blumer.  

411: carolinabucci.com
And that’s a wrap till next week! 

Do email me if you have society news or an experience we can do together! Xx JAC