Throughout its history, Bottega Vannini has seen its creations cross the borders of Florence to be appreciated in national and international contexts.
Awards and recognitions testify to a path of constant research and dedication, in which the Florentine goldsmith's art is renewed through elegance of form, quality of materials and originality of design.
At Vicenza goldsmith exhibition, Vannini receives the prestigious award for the realisation of the Titian Necklace.
Inspired by the renowned portrait of Eleonora of Gonzaga, held in memory and in the gaze, Vannini gives shape to a one-of-a-kind jewel: a necklace adorned with boules containing solid perfume tablets scented with sandalwood and amber.
A one-of-a-kind creation, recognised as “Jewellery of the Year”.
Umberto Vannini’s first solo exhibition was held in 1995 at the Spazio Cultura in Cortina d’Ampezzo, curated by art critic Milena Milani.
Protagonists of the event are reproductions of jewellery Renaissance, including the already award-winning Titian Necklace.
That same year also marked the creation of the Margherita d’Oro, designed for the historic Caffè Margherita in Viareggio: a further testament to the creative instinct and inspiring power of his work.
In 1996 Vannini returns to Cortina d'Ampezzo to present the Pendant of the Three Graces, inspired by the Spring by Botticelli.
The work was described by art critic Mirella Milani as “an inner idea brought to light that, through a miracle of genius, continues to shine like an indestructible jewel”.
With this creation, Vannini renews his tribute to the great masters who have made Italian art immortal.
The Pendant of the Three Graces is just one of many examples in which Renaissance art has inspired goldsmithing creation.
From the works of the great masters come suggestions that, transformed into lines, volumes and precious details, give life to jewellery capable of conveying the same harmony and beauty enshrined in the masterpieces of art.
In 1999, in the historic residence of Catherine de Medici a Blois, Vannini presents the reproduction of two famous pendants that belonged to the Queen of France.
The first shows the jewel worn in his portrait best known; the second reinterprets in the form of a cross the valuable which held a perfume in a solid state.
For the occasion, the Officina di Santa Maria Novella recreates its original essence, renewing the tradition of scented jewels that so captivated the Renaissance.
In 2000 the Vannini goldsmith's workshop takes part in the sixth edition of Diladdarno, the Florentine market exhibition that has now become a classic spring event.
The event brings together the excellences of traditional and artistic craftsmanship, while also giving space to contemporary production: that carried forward by those who today take up the baton of Tuscan creativity and ingenuity, universally recognised.
At Riccardiana Library of Florence, the miniature also lives on in the precious form of jewellery.
The reproductions made in the 2014, inspired by 15th- and 16th-century illuminated manuscripts, testify to the deep connection between goldsmith's art and the art of miniaturecameos, brooches and floral motifs of extraordinary refinement.
The Vannini goldsmith workshop preserves and renews this heritage, bringing back to life the ancient techniques and materials once used by the illuminators, decorators, and calligraphers of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
In 2017, the Associazione Osservatorio dei Mestieri d’Arte honoured the Vannini goldsmith workshop with the Artigiano OmA award, as part of the event Enjoy Handicraft in Florence.
A tribute to the value and quality of his creations, regarded as authentic expressions of culture and manual refinement, capable of transforming jewellery from an artisanal object into a true work of art.
The end of the year is the perfect time to treat yourself—or to give something truly special.
In 2017 Rai 3 chooses to recount this tradition by interviewing Vannini in a report dedicated to Christmas shopping.
Drawing the attention of the cameras was the Gioielli d’Autore collection, created in collaboration with Floruit, a Lucca-based brand specialising in exclusive creations featuring preserved flowers.
Inspired by the ancient tradition of Florentine Renaissance workshops and by the formative experience Umberto lived in his youth, the Vannini goldsmith workshop launches its first goldsmithing art course.
The initiative takes place within the historic workshop, where students have the opportunity to use the same tools employed today to design and create jewellery of extraordinary complexity.
In 2019, on the occasion of the celebrations for the 500 years since the birth of Catherine de’ Medici, the Laurentian Medicean Library of Florence entrust to the Vannini goldsmith workshop the task of paying tribute to the queen consort of France, a figure of great culture and advocate of civil tolerance.
Within the Salone di Michelangelo, a reproduction is displayed of one of the precious jewels that Catherine cherished with pride and loved to wear on solemn occasions.
2021 marked another significant milestone for the Vannini goldsmith workshop, which received the official recognition of Tuscan Artisan Excellence from Artex, the Centre for Artistic and Traditional Craftsmanship of Tuscany.
A certificate confirming the role in preserving and innovating a centuries-old tradition, enhancing the region's jewellery culture and projecting it into the future.
In 2025, the Vannini goldsmith workshop had the pleasure of taking part in “Trust the locals… don’t trust anyone”, an exclusive event hosted in the evocative setting of the Tepidarium del Roster.
An intense and inspiring evening, created to celebrate the very realities that make Florence unique on the international stage: a meeting point between contemporary creativity and artisanal tradition, where our work found its place among the most authentic expressions of the region.
A project born to celebrate the beauty, craftsmanship, and deep identity of the city, shared alongside other extraordinary artists and artisans who, like us, continue to uphold Florentine excellence.
