Bijoux De Paris

ode to the timeless elegance of the historical Milanese jewelry boutique

Ethel & Maia Levi preparano la vetrina di Bijoux De Paris

Bijoux De Paris jewelry boutique, at 12 Via Manzoni, a few steps away from Teatro alla Scala, is one of the most authentic historical shops in Milan. It was inaugurated in 1953 by the Levi family, who has always had a strong passion for beauty and who chose to make beauty itself a mission, with endless devotion. Here, at Bijoux De Paris, triumph of poetry, time seems to have stopped.

Vista interna della boutique Bijoux De Paris negli anni ’50

Once entered, you are suddenly surrounded by a unique ‘50s atmosphere. In fact, everything inside the boutique is a picture of those fabulous years: the little armchairs, the lamps, the internal cabinets and even the black velvet bustiers on which Maia Levi carefully displays sets of pearls, zircons and strass. And the shop window? If you are lucky enough to arrive at 12 Via Manzoni at the right time, you can witness Levi ladies while they prepare it with dedication in every small detail, like setting up the stage for an orchestra of splendid bijoux, ready to perform in a harmonious and sophisticated symphony of light and colours.

Collana in argento rodiato e zirconi, con zircone giallo a goccia

The shop has its roots in the fascinating history of costume jewelry, born in France in the early years of eighteenth-century thanks to Georges Frédéric Stras, a master goldsmith who was the first to create imitations of great value. From that moment onwards, costume jewelry achieved an ever increasing enthusiasm and crossed the centuries accompanying the fashion and the style of the time.

Bracciale Rospo in bronzo smaltato

It is not difficult to imagine Maria Callas choosing here, at 12 Via Manzoni, the bijoux to match to her diamond sets, a fixed appointment whenever the Divine performed at La Scala. And it is not surprising that also Luchino Visconti and Claudia Cardinale chose Bijoux De Paris. After all, while shooting Il Gattopardo, the famous director and screenwriter asked to fill even the closed drawers of the furniture on stage with jewels. And when he was told that the jewels wouldn’t be seen, he answered that they would be heard. So, the iconic pearl chocker worn by Claudia Cardinale in the ball scene was chosen in the poetic boutique.

Maria Callas

A place that charms, with its delicacy and elegance, and involves so much that it gives an intense and pure joy, as only authentic beauty can do. Whenever I visit Bijoux De Paris, something magical always happens to me. Last time, suddenly, it started snowing…

Laura Inghirami con Ethel Levi durante la visita presso Bijoux De Paris