Milanese jewellery brand, Pomellato, has announced its third collaboration with international foundation Venetian Heritage to promote the artistic legacy of Venice and celebrate Italian craftsmanship.

The jeweller has contributed to the funding of the Light and Reflections project, bringing a state-of-the-art illumination system to the façade of the Ca’ d’Oro – which hosts the State Museum Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca’ d’Oro and belongs to the Direzione regionale Musei Veneto, part of the Italian Ministry of Culture.

The palace on Venice’s Grand Canal is famous for its exquisite open-work marble façade that, in the past, was partially gilded – giving it the name Ca’ d’Oro (Golden House).

Pomellato has created the one-of-a-kind Venetian Dream diamond-set high jewellery necklace, inspired by this iconic Gothic palazzo, to mark the unveiling of the completed Light and Reflections project.

CEO of Pomellato Group, Sabina Belli commented: “We have worked with Venetian Heritage in the past, and the Ca’ d’Oro lighting project follows on from the restoration works of the Epistle Ambo in St Mark’s Basilica in 2022 and the Doge Morosini’s monument in 2020.

“We are committed to preserving and sharing the excellence of Italian craftsmanship, both past and present.

“The Ca’ d’Oro is an outstanding example of the wealth of skills that Italy has brought to the world.

“We are proud to contribute to enhancing its marvellous façade that reflects Venice’s rich and varied visual culture, and the name of Pomellato will be forever linked to the ‘Maison d’Or’.”

The Italian Ministry of Culture and Venetian Heritage have led the project to install a sustainable and low-environmental impact night-time lighting system explicitly designed to enhance the polychrome marble of the famous Gothic façade. The lighting will emphasize the ornate marble work and evoke the former gilding, making the façade of the Ca’ d’Oro shine once again. Erco, a leading international specialist in sustainable architectural lighting, has conceived outdoor light fittings using LED technology.

Venetian Heritage director, Toto Bergamo Rossi added: “This is our third collaboration with Pomellato, each focussed on enhancing a masterpiece of Venice’s cultural heritage.

“We are grateful to be able to count on the unwavering support of the Maison, with which we share a passion for preserving the arts. “The lighting project for the façade of the Ca’ d’Oro, is the result of a unique historical-architectural lighting study that takes into account the perforations, volumes, and colours of the façade, making it the first of its kind for a palazzo overlooking the Grand Canal. “The façade lighting is part of a larger project for the total renovation of the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti at Ca’ d’Oro supported by Venetian Heritage in collaboration with the Giulio e Giovanna Sacchetti Foundation.”

Pomellato is the ideal partner in the Ca’ d’Oro project, given the House’s passion for preserving Italy’s artisanal heritage.

The palazzo’s archives reveal that Matteo Raverti – the Italian architect and sculptor who oversaw the construction of the Ca’ d’Oro building (1421-1441) – also worked on the Duomo in Milan as his name appears in the annals of the Fabbrica del Duomo between 1389 and 1404. This connection reinforces the deep links between Pomellato’s birthplace of Milan and Venice, and the cities’ shared architectural history – a source of inspiration for the brand and its creations. As a tribute to the Light and Reflections project, Pomellato has created the Venetian Dream high jewellery necklace, inspired by the mesmerising play of light that fills the building.

The abundant forms of the façade, including the quatrefoil openings, have been decoded and distilled into three geometrical shapes that form the rose gold pendant.

The irregular silhouettes of seven dazzling, fancy-cut diamonds set in a line capture the otherworldly quality of the point where the rippling water of the Grand Canal meets the symmetry of the building. The chain is set with more than 4,000 diamonds that give it a light and shimmering quality, reminiscent of the dreamlike reflections of Venice’s cityscape.