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POMELLATO:
Milanese colour, shaped for the body

An evergreen guide to Pomellato: its 1967 Milan foundation, prêt-à-porter idea, colour, Nudo, Iconica, gold construction and collector checks.

TheTimeo11 September 20265 min read

Mandala Chromia: a multicoloured sapphire medallion suspended from a rose-gold chain. Source: Pomellato.

Explore the story

Pomellato is a Milan jewellery house founded in 1967 by Pino Rabolini. It proposed jewellery with the immediacy of ready-to-wear: recognisable design, substantial gold and colour intended for regular use. Nudo, Iconica, Catene and Sabbia show how that premise can move from a single exposed stone to links, bands and irregular fields of light.

This guide treats the collection name as an entry point. Accurate description still depends on dimensions, gold colour, stone identity, setting, marks and construction.

Definition and scope

Pomellato works primarily in jewellery and high jewellery. Its official account ties the house to Milan, rose gold, coloured stones and a workshop culture in which casting, setting, polishing and assembly support rounded, tactile form. The result is often informal in use but technically exact in execution.

Colour is not an afterthought. Stones can be selected for unexpected hue and arranged to work with warm gold. Volume is equally important: a ring, link or bezel is designed as a three-dimensional object that meets the hand, not only as a frontal image.

Foundation and historical development

1967: Pino Rabolini founded Pomellato in Milan.
Late twentieth century: the house developed its ready-to-wear jewellery proposition through bold gold forms, chains and coloured stones.
2001: Nudo was introduced, exposing a specially cut stone above a restrained setting.
Anniversary period: Iconica was created as a gold-centred statement of the house’s Milanese craft vocabulary.
Contemporary practice: Nudo, Iconica, Catene and Sabbia continue across multiple sizes, stones and constructions.

The sequence explains design development but does not date a jewel. Signatures, marks, dimensions and documented collection records must be assessed together.

Aesthetic and design identity

Colour without a heavy frame

Nudo makes the stone appear visually open by reducing the visible setting. Its irregular 57-facet cut is a documented collection code. Colour may derive from a natural gem, a doublet or another specified construction; the exact product record must decide the description.

Sculpted gold

Rounded bands, generous bezels and softly inflated links give Pomellato jewellery a tactile quality. Rose gold is recurrent, but metal and finish must be recorded for the particular object rather than inferred from house style.

Milanese ease

The ready-to-wear premise encourages stacking, mixing and daily use. That flexibility is visual and practical: proportions, internal curves and link movement determine comfort just as much as colour determines recognition.

Technical and manufacturing ideas

Lost-wax casting and finishing: Pomellato’s official craftsmanship account describes microfusion, or lost-wax casting, as part of the route to rounded gold volumes. Casting is followed by assembly, setting and surface finishing; seams, junctions and interior surfaces deserve the same attention as the polished exterior.
The Nudo cut and setting: Nudo’s stone is cut with 57 irregular facets and mounted so that it appears to float. Inspect the stone edges, seating and junction with the ring without assuming that every colour uses the same gem construction.
Links and pavé fields: Catene turns enlarged links into the design, while Sabbia uses irregular arrangements of stones to form granular light. Articulation, clasp security, stone setting and mixed surface finishes are reference-level facts.

Fundamental collections and models

Nudo

Introduced in 2001, Nudo centres an exposed coloured stone above a restrained shank. Size, cut, material construction, gold colour and ring dimensions vary.

Iconica

A family of smooth, substantial gold bands and links associated with the house’s anniversary and Milanese goldsmithing. Versions range from plain gold to diamond-set compositions.

Catene

Chain links are enlarged and polished into the principal motif. Link gauge, articulation, closures and stone-set sections should be recorded individually.

Sabbia

Irregular pavé arrangements evoke grains of sand rather than a rigid grid. Note stone type, setting pattern, metal and whether the element is fixed or articulated.

What matters to a collector

Identify the stone construction: Do not translate colour into gem identity. Match the jewel to an official reference or reliable documentation and record whether the stone is natural, assembled or treated when that information is supplied.
Check volume, fit and movement: Photograph the profile and interior as well as the face. On rings, confirm size and evidence of alteration. On chains, inspect link alignment, solder areas and clasps under gentle handling.
Conserve the surface: Repeated polishing can change a rounded contour, thin edges and blur marks. Pavé and exposed stone edges require specialist inspection before cleaning or repair. Keep the written scope and service record.

Terminology and related references

Prêt-à-porter jewellery: Pomellato’s ready-to-wear proposition for recognisable jewellery intended for regular use.
Microfusion: lost-wax casting used to form a metal object from a model.
Doublet: an assembled stone made from joined layers; use only when documented for the reference.
Pavé: closely set small stones creating a continuous field.
Related reading: coloured gemstones, rose gold, casting, stone setting, hallmarks and jewellery care.

Sources & further reading

This evergreen guide was rechecked on 11 September 2026 against Pomellato’s official craftsmanship, Nudo and Iconica pages and Kering’s institutional account. A former legal-page citation was removed because it did not support the editorial claims. The text does not authenticate or grade an individual object.

Media: official Pomellato photography retained as WordPress media 6755 and reverified against its governed source article and file record.