Marbella Welcomes the Jewels that Enchanted Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe

Alberto Nardi belongs to the third generation, following his grandfather Giulio and his father Sergio, in managing the exclusive Venetian jewelry brand Nardi, which has been around for nearly a century and became very famous during the era of the Italian Dolce Vita, as some of its icons were coveted collectibles of actresses and royal households. Until August 17th, an exhibition of its most emblematic works will be open to the public at Gómez y Molina Joyeros in Marbella, an event that kicks off the cultural cycle of the History of Contemporary Jewelry.

How did Nardi start?

Nardi is a family story. My grandfather Giulio, who was from Florence, fought in World War I near Venice, fell in love with my Venetian grandmother, and married her on the condition that he would move there. He started a jewelry business that he perfected over time, characterized by the design of unique, handmade, and exclusive pieces linked to the beauty and history of the city of Venice.

Nardi is famous worldwide and one of its most epic moments coincides with the era of the Italian Dolce Vita.

That's right. People who came to Venice on vacation and for tourism began to know us, and in those golden years in Italy, when high-level European and American tourism was booming, Nardi became popular among the aristocracy, actresses, and European royal households. Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, Elizabeth Taylor, the Spanish Infantas...

Also, figures like Jean Cocteau who lived in Marbella or the writer Ernest Hemingway, who had strong ties with Spain, mentioned one of Nardi's most famous pieces, the Moretto, in his book "Across the River and Into the Trees." Today, we already have the third or fourth generation of American customers who consider us their jewelers.

Tell us more about the Moretto, are they your most emblematic pieces?

They are one of them. It is true that they became very popular, as I mentioned, because great figures from the aristocracy, culture, and royalty wore them, but I like to talk about them as part of Venice and our philosophy of highlighting the beauty and art of my city, the historical connection of Venice with Eastern culture, with the Silk Road... The Moretto are talismans, good luck charms, and their meaning goes beyond the gold and stones that make them up; they are jewels that are attached to the history of Venice and, in this case, to my grandfather Giulio who created the first Moretto at Nardi.

How would you describe the current style of Nardi?

A century of history tells us that Nardi's jewels are symbols of elegance and an exclusive style. I have revived the philosophy with which my grandfather Giulio started this business in the late 1920s, which was to create jewels that evoke emotion and tell a story, to work each piece by hand, always eager to learn and always with great love for my city, a beautiful city, very delicate and treated very poorly. When I travel around the world, like now to Marbella, it moves me a lot to meet people who love my city, because my jewels are a testimony to the beauty of a city that must continue beyond mass tourism.

Has it been difficult to set up this exhibition in Marbella?

A year and a half of work. Miguel Gómez Molina and I share many things, a passion for detail, beauty, handmade with love, and the ability to make jewelry as it was done 2000 years ago. The pieces in this exhibition are a continuous nod to culture and to the protection of a city that is known throughout the world and I share this idea of Miguel's to offer Venice, Miguel to Marbella, something more than a business selling to the public.

Is this the first time Nardi pieces are exhibited in Spain?

Indeed. We have participated in Madrid and Barcelona in purely commercial events but this is the first time we exhibit in Spain, in Marbella, from this educational, didactic, and cultural perspective, an exhibition open to all audiences. For us, Spain is a very important country and we have never done a show like this articulated with more than a hundred pieces that are the crème de la crème of our jewelry. It is thanks to Miguel Gómez Molina that we are here today in Marbella.

What is left for Alberto Nardi to do?

I want to continue transmitting this passion for Venice and respect for its heritage and culture to young people and, in my travels, to be an ambassador of a Venice that wants to endure, that is a part of world history and where we aim to do things well with constant aesthetic research at Nardi.