OUR HISTORY
.jpg "View of Lungarno Acciaiuoli with Gherardi store in 1921")
THE HISTORY OF MANY GENERATIONS
Filomena Donadio, paternal grandmother of the current owners, was a descendant of a family from Torre del Greco, who produced and sold coral jewelry and cameos from the mid-1800’s, and, under the guidance of the forefather Gaetano, opened several stores in Naples, Taormina, and in Bad Ischl, in Austria, where the then Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria and the Austrian aristocracy resided during the summer.
In 1917 Filomena was asked to open a store in Viareggio, known at the time for its tourism and cradle of thr Art Nouveau style.
It was here that Filomena met Ugo Gherardi, and together with her profound knowledge of jewelry, coral in particular, and his entrepreneurship skills, that the Viareggio shop became very successful.
Their aim, however, was to open a store in Florence, and, in 1921, they inaugurated its opening along the Lungarno Acciaiuoli, an elegant and prestigious area where hotels like The Excelsior, the Grand Hotel, the historical center, Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti are located.
The shop was destroyed in 1945 by the retreating German Army, but rebuilt after the War.
In 1952 Ugo inaugurated a three-window storefront shop on the Ponte Vecchio, the heart of Florentine goldsmiths, and since then the Gherardi company has grown successfully, acquiring clients from all over the world. Thanks also to their children Alberto and Liliana, the Gherardi shop has become a point of reference in Florence for the production and sale of coral and pearl jewelry.
On November 4th 1966 a terrible flood destroyed the shop along with nearly all of the shops located on Ponte Vecchio.
Ugo, Alberto and Liliana did not give up their dreams, and started work on repairing the store and the precious merchandise with the help of excellent artisans. They were able to restore the pieces damaged in the flood, and to recreate those lost and, finally, in June 1967 the store re-opened again, more beautiful and more prestigious than ever before.
In 1987 the Company was passed on to the next generation: Simonetta and Ugo continue to this day to manage the store trying to bring together tradition and current fashions, by interpreting the latest trends, paying special attention to quality and excellent workmanship.
Our History
.jpg "Ponte Vecchio in a photograph of 1930")
.jpg "The goldsmiths' shops destroyed by the fury of the water")
.jpg "All to be rebuilt")
