A GOLD BRACELET, BY UNO A ERRE, CIRCA 1955 The... Lot 47

A GOLD BRACELET, BY UNO A ERRE, CIRCA 1955 The textured curb-link bracelet, in 18K gold, signed Uno A Erre, with Italian registry mark for '1AR' between 1944-1968, length 21.3cm Uno A Erre was established in 1926, bearing the name Gori & Zucchi after its founders, Leopoldo Gori and Carlo Zucchi. The first workshop was located in the centre of Arezzo city, nestled between Via Seteria and Corso Italia. In 1934, Gori & Zucchi was honoured by becoming the first goldsmithing company in Arezzo to receive a hallmark. This hallmark, consisting of the number one to denote the first and AR to signify Arezzo, went on to become the company's new name, Uno A Erre. Following WWII, Uno A Erre decided to utilise the industrial production methods that had become mainstream during the war to manufacture their jewellery. This greatly reduced costs and allowed the company to expand so that, by the 1960s, there were just under 1,500 employees. In the early sixties, the Medaglia dell'Amore was conceived, a love token inspired by poet Rosemonde G. Rostand's verse 'I love you more than yesterday but less than tomorrow'. The following twenty years saw the demand for craft medals increase dramatically and an international competition for medals and art plaques was set up. Uno A Erre began collaborations with various artists and, with the opening of academies, such as the Centro Studi Superiori di Arte Orafa, they devoted great attention to the training of their goldsmiths. The medals were presented in many forms, including pendants, charms and bracelets and covered a variety of subjects, both religious and secular. In 1998, Uno A Erre highlighted their jewellery as an art form when they founded the first Italian museum dedicated to goldsmithing. The museum explores the industry from its ancient inception up to the present day.