Not a jewel in sight. Instead, Buccellati gives us “jewelry” for the table and bar, all of it conjuring images of a winter weekend in the heart of the Italian Alps.
The inspiration for Cervino—cutlery, serving utensils, and accessories—is Monte Cervino, Italy’s third highest peak. The mountain, with its perfect pyramid shape, is perhaps better known by another moniker, the Matterhorn, and more commonly associated with the Zermatt ski resort in Switzerland. You can actually travel between the two countries by gondola—the journey takes a mere 90 minutes.
The pieces that comprise Cervino are made in sterling silver and deciduous staghorn—that is, deer antlers that were shed naturally in the wild and then harvested for decorative use. No two handles, as seen in the trio below, display the exact same colors, curvatures, or mottling.
Together these materials tell a story of Alpine culinary traditions—think venison ragout, the silkiest polenta heaped with fontina, local salumi. And truffles for days. Hence the truffle knife (pictured at top), which also comes in a boxed set with a brush and slicer (pictured below).
To me, these entertaining pieces whisper of a winter gathering at a sprawling chalet, perhaps one with a palatial mudroom strewn with Brunello Cuccinelli boots and a rainbow of Rossignols. Everything smells faintly of sweat, firewood, juniper, and snow-dusted fox fur. Everyone has a smidge of sunburn.
That tall guy—Maurizio? Fabrizio?—just asked you something in Italian you don’t understand. Your goggles are pushed up above your forehead like a diadem. You say to him, “Scusa?“ He smiles at you, then walks off in his base layers and socks. You are in a Susan Minot novel. Your legs are jelly.
You wear a creamy mohair sweater and diamond huggies to dinner. There is a formal dining room with soaring ceilings hung with Piattelli chandeliers; golden pears, ruby red grapes, and chestnuts spill out of silver epergnes on the long wooden table.
A fire roars behind you as the hosts’ dogs lounge at your feet. The wine is a fine Barolo (“the wine of kings and the king of wines”).
You think briefly about pocketing one of the wine stoppers before you head home. Must be the vino. Or the altitude. Or the way Fabrizio is looking at you.
I’m sorry to say this is not the getaway I have planned for the long Presidents’ Day weekend. But if it’s yours? Please take me with you! Or just bring me a silver-and-staghorn souvenir. That works too.
Top: RSVP yes to Buccellati’s Cervino collection to re-create the vibe of a ski weekend in the Italian Alps. The truffle knife, $459, is joined here by a shot of the famed Monte Cervino, namesake of the collection, as well as a Perfect Moment ski suit and Celine goggles (photos: Net-a-Porter)—and that is indeed an Italian greyhound (photos: Unsplash).
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