The world of jewellery designer Carolina Bucci

The jewellery designer Carolina Bucci, 36, was born in Florence into a family of jewellers, and started her own line in 2003, designing fine jewellery with a playful twist. She opened her flagship store on Motcomb Street, London SW1, in 2007; her clients include Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham. This month she launches a range of beeswax candles. She lives in Bayswater, west London, with her husband, James Pyner, an art dealer, their sons, Lucas, seven, and Julius, four, and their dog, Arturo.

Routine I wake up at 7.30am and rush to get my children ready for school. I'm not a breakfast person but I have started to eat something that my father always had and we always looked at in disgust: rye toast, very crisp, almost burnt, with apricot jam that we make. I get my sons to school just before the door closes - that's my style - then do a Pilates class before heading to my store in Knightsbridge. I have meetings between 10am and 2pm, so lunch doesn't really happen. I'm quite diligent about picking my children up from school, and in the afternoon we go to exhibitions or play. Once they are in bed I pick up where I left off at 2pm, connecting with my New York showroom. In the evening I love having dinner with my husband and my friends.

Family jewellers The family business was founded in 1885 in Florence by my great-grandfather, as a repair shop for pocket watches. He started making bespoke watch chains, which is how the manufacturing business began. Now we manufacture for different brands. Being the daughter of a jeweller, I was never allowed to wear costume jewellery. We wore charm bracelets and necklaces from a young age, but I always wanted to change things. It drove everybody crazy; I was never happy with how things were. I remember being given a bracelet when I was 14 but I wanted to transform it into three rings, so I did. I went to a jewellery show with my parents wearing my rings, and everybody asked about them - we ended up taking a lot of orders.

My jewellery First and foremost, I design for myself. It's always fine jewellery, staying true to my background, but I want it to be fun and wearable. Our lives are very different from our parents' - we don't wear jewellery to go to the opera, for instance - but that doesn't mean you have to compromise on the preciousness. My twister bracelet is a good example: it's a bracelet with about 20 carats of diamonds, and costs £50,000, but it's stretchy like a tennis wristband. You put it on like a hairband. That reflects a very modern style to me.

Bambini collection I wear this necklace with my two little boys in diamonds all the time. I designed it when I started my Bambini collection, after I had my first son. The boys are different sizes; one is slightly bigger because it was the sample, and it shrank by about 10 per cent when the original was used to make the mould. All my jewellery is made by hand, by artisans in the same workshop in Florence where all my family's pieces are made.

^{PHOTO: OLIVER HOLMS}

New York My husband, James, is English, but we met in New York. I moved there when I was 18 to study studio arts at Marymount, before doing a masters in jewellery design. I always knew I wanted to live in New York - my mother is half-American - because I wanted concrete and noise after a blissful childhood in Fiesole, on one of the hills outside Florence. James was working in finance, and we moved to London to have children. We both miss the lifestyle in New York, the thrill of 'what's new?'

Vices I'm a strange Italian: I don't drink coffee. I don't drink wine, either - I don't like the taste of alcohol in general. I don't smoke, drink or take drugs, but my weakness is candy. I like anything that is chewy and sour, such as Haribo Tangfastics. Usually I open the packets so they turn hard, because I don't like them soft. My sense of smell and taste is very strong - probably too strong, because I can smell things from far away, which is quite annoying.

Relaxation I used to paint ceramics to relax, and I had a kiln in New York. Now I do watercolours for my children. Howard Hodgkin is my favourite artist. His work inspires an emotional reaction - you either love it or hate it. I would love to have one of his pieces with the super-thick paint.

Biggest influence My mother has been an inspiration. I grew up with the belief that she could predict the future, because she was always right. She would be planning a party for 350 people in the garden in Italy, and the caterers would ask what would happen if it rained. She'd say, 'It won't.' And it never did.

Madia This is a madia, a Tuscan piece of furniture used in bread-making. You would make your dough and put it in here to let it rise. We inherited it from my family, and had it lined with grey leather and studs. We use it as a bar. It's fun to be able to appropriate something that has been in my family for a long time.

^{PHOTO: OLIVER HOLMS}

Venini glass We collect glass - I like transparent objects - and I like Murano glass in particular. It's horrible that it is a dying art; the artisans in Murano are all in their 70s. Venini did a limited edition for Bergdorf Goodman recently, and we bought these Fazzoletti vases. I love the shape, and grey and turquoise are my favourite colours. We use all our glass, and I recently broke our favourite vase. I was upset, but these pieces are meant to be used.

^{PHOTO: OLIVER HOLMS}

Stefan Brüggemann artwork When we moved to London, James had had enough of finance. His passion had always been art and photography, so he set up the Post Box Gallery ( postboxgallery.com ). At home we always have different things on the walls. This piece [pictured] is by the Mexican artist Stefan Brüggemann, who has moulded together two texts: a joke by Richard Prince and a definition by Joseph Kosuth. I'm bad at explaining art, but the way they work together brings text to a different level - it has a simply decorative effect.

^{PHOTO:OLIVER HOLMS}

Mirror This mirror was the headboard of my grandparents' bed. I think they got it at an auction. We brought it to London from Italy, and I like the fact that it's a little bit ruined - I didn't want to restore it. It fits perfectly in here, bolted to the wall above the mantelpiece.

^{PHOTO: OLIVER HOLMS}

Victoria Beckham When I opened the store Victoria Beckham was invoice number one. She had bought some of my bracelets from Browns, and she loved them. She wanted me to design something for her and David for their wedding anniversary. We used to call each other at 11pm and I'd suggest ideas and email her sketches. She was super-polite, respectful and not expecting anything - she made a point of saying she did not want a discount. She was very professional.

Via: The world of jewellery designer Carolina Bucci