Veschetti: A review of the best jewels from the private exhibition in London

Some brands throw elaborate parties for their clients, inviting famous DJs to play for several hundred guests, while others organise private shows in a serene atmosphere that can only be accessed by special invitation. Recently I found myself at one such private exhibition, organised for Italian jewellery brand Veschetti, with Julia Castelli Lifestyle Management.

The brother and sister duo behind Veschetti are Laura and Marco – whom I have previously written about on my website – who brought a selection of Veschetti jewellery to the UK’s capital city for only the fourth time ever, as well as older pieces by Bulgari and Marina B. The last time the Veschetti family hosted such an event, it was at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, but for March 2018 they chose the more boutique Franklin hotel in the prestigious Knightsbridge area. Julia Castelli, the former director of jewellery sales at Sotheby’s and the founder of a company specialising in closed jewellery shows, invited her clients to give them a taste of the sophistication of Italian jewellery-making.

I love the quality and variety of Veschetti jewellery as well as its impeccable craftsmanship. The pieces are made by the same artisans who produce high jewellery for the best world-renowned jewellery brands. I especially adore the gemstones used in Veschetti jewellery, as well as how colourful and happy it is – it’s like colour therapy for the mind and eyes. Happy hormones are produced just looking at them. And imagine the effect when you wear them! Said Julia Castelli.

And it’s true: bright shades and bold combinations of tones are what makes the Italian brand’s luxury jewellery simply unforgettable. However, in addition to the vibrant colour scheme, the Veschetti jewellery intrigued guests with the unique jewellery techniques which had been used to produce these pieces. For example, according to Laura, the most popular rings were the pieces with colourless or yellow diamonds inlaid within a gold casing, which is hidden under a ‘shell’ of turquoise, coral, mother-of-pearl or wood.

Throughout the event, I kept returning to the window where – surrounded by necklaces and rings – there lay on a pillow one of the most spectacular pieces by the brand: a watch with a secret. The diamond-encrusted dial was hidden beneath a tanzanite weighing 89.09 carats. “Very often the starting point in our pieces is the gemstones, which attract us with their unique characteristics. So, in the case of this watch, its design was built around a unique fantasy-cut tanzanite. We wanted to create a piece with it that would adequately highlight the natural beauty of the stone,” said Marco.

The watch’s bezel features a double zig zag pattern set with colourless diamonds, and an interesting design solution was engineered for the bracelet of the watch, which is made of emerald beads weighing a total of 335.5 carats. These high-quality beryls were mined in Zambia, and are therefore especially valuable stones.

And finally, another jewellery creation which demanded to be noticed; a luxurious yellow gold necklace with 50 carats of diamonds and three pendants with emeralds. One of them was faceted in the form of beads, the second in droplets and the third – which is more flat – was decorated with an engraved gem. The total weight of the green gems in this masterpiece is almost 350 carats. But the beauty of the jewellery, of course, does not lie in the impressive weight of the diamonds and gemstones, but in the effect of their combination in whatever arrangement – be that round, drop-shaped or even in fantasy forms.

Hundreds of guests came to view Veschetti jewellery over the course of the three-day private exhibition. Some attendees left with purchases, others with a catalogue so they could have more thinking time, but all of them, without exception, were impressed by what they saw.