Simply off one in every of Milan’s bustling streets lies an unmarked, gemstone-shaped door etched into an in any other case unassuming wall. To passersby, it’s merely one other murals steps from the Castello Sforzesco, however to a choose few, it’s the doorway to Garatti‘s excessive jewellery atelier. Its hidden-in-plain-sight doorway feels nearer to a plot level in an exciting thriller novel slightly than a real-life showroom, particularly as soon as guests bypass a second layer of safety and enter a glowing show of diamonds. (And don’t hassle making an attempt to look Garatti up on Google Maps — it’s deliberately off-the-grid.)
Picture: Courtesy of Garatti
Based in 2018 by Milena Bernocco and her son Nicolas Garatti, the Italian excessive jewellery home focuses on inexperienced diamonds. You’ve possible heard of their yellow or blue counterparts (see: the Tiffany Diamond or the Hope Diamond), however what, you might ask, are inexperienced diamonds? The uncommon gemstone’s greenish hue comes from pure publicity to radiation over millennia, leading to varied ranges of saturation and readability. (No, they’re not radioactive; I requested.)
Actually, any coloured diamonds are exceedingly uncommon, as just one out of 10,000 carats of common diamonds shows “fancy shade,” in keeping with the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), a nonprofit group and the worldwide authority on diamonds, coloured stones and pearls. However inexperienced diamonds rank among the many rarest of the uncommon, second solely to pink diamonds. Now, Garatti is additional positioning itself because the premier vacation spot for the green-tinted gems: It presently owns 60% of the world’s recognized inexperienced diamonds in addition to greater than 90% of these presently out there in the marketplace, per the maison.
Picture: Courtesy of Garatti
For Bernocco, a profession gemologist, two elements fueled her determination to go all-in on inexperienced diamonds. “The primary is the sheer fantastic thing about their shade: a magnetic inexperienced born from a protracted, pure technique of formation,” she advised Fashionista over e-mail, translated from Italian. “The second is our want to convey these gems the popularity they deserve for his or her rarity and attract, as they characterize the second rarest diamond shade on this planet.”
Picture: Courtesy of Garatti
Inside its Milan atelier, Garatti artisans mix conventional Italian craftsmanship with up to date design to create customized items. Bernocco spearheads the design course of for every of the label’s capsules, together with its Settecento assortment (a multi-strand necklace referencing 1700s excessive jewellery) and its Venezia assortment (assertion earrings and a necklace impressed by Venetian chandeliers). Not like lots of the trade’s front-facing excessive jewellery gamers — Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Tiffany & Co., for instance — Garatti firmly commits to its customized, made-to-order enterprise mannequin.
“What units our model aside from rivals is the sheer uniqueness of our creations,” Bernocco shared. “We craft solely one-of-a-kind items, tailor-made advert hoc for every shopper, alongside museum-grade collections featured on the world’s most prestigious pink carpets.”
Picture: Kevin Mazur/Getty Pictures
As one in every of its most notable celeb placements, Garatti’s inexperienced diamonds (greater than 42 carats of them, value a whopping $35 million, to be precise), graced the neck of Kate Hudson on the 98th Academy Awards in 2026. Different A-listers like Angelina Jolie, Emma Stone, Gwyneth Paltrow, Penélope Cruz and Lupita Nyong’o have additionally donned the Italian home’s uncommon jewels.
No matter a potential shopper’s means, the atelier’s hid entryway ensures that not simply anybody can waltz in and buy a multimillion-dollar diamond necklace. As an alternative, Garatti operates on an invitation-only foundation. “The choice of our clientele extends past monetary standing — although our creations characterize true luxurious — and is rooted primarily in ethical and moral values that align with our model id,” Bernocco defined. “Our ideally suited shopper is an individual of refined tradition, a passionate patron of the humanities and actively engaged in social and humanitarian causes.”
Picture: Courtesy of Garatti
This emphasis on moral values and transparency continues into Garatti’s diamond sourcing, as the jewellery home makes use of the Kimberley Process (KP), which is a global initiative established in 2000 to eradicate battle diamonds from the reputable commerce. In line with KP, battle diamonds are “tough diamonds utilized by insurgent actions or their allies to finance battle aimed toward undermining reputable governments.” Plus, every Garatti diamond is assured and authorized by the GIA. (Translation: No “blood diamonds” right here, per the corporate.)
Regardless of many excessive jewellery manufacturers focusing on feminine customers with glittering necklaces and dangling earrings, the broader gemology trade is basically run by males. Whereas scaling the ranks in her gemology profession, Bernocco ultimately hit a wall. So, after deciding to exit on her personal, she introduced in her eldest son Nicolas (alongside together with her youthful son Luca) to assist open extra doorways.
“It was on no account a simple journey, however my ardour and dedication to open up this world to true connoisseurs are what [have] pushed me to construct our model,” she stated. “From a younger age, my son Nicolas — now president of Garatti — supported me in its founding, standing by my aspect to navigate the challenges and obstacles of this trade.” Although in Bernocco’s opinion, “this type of artwork is much more lovely and higher with a female imaginative and prescient.”
Picture: Courtesy of Garatti
In an age when lab-grown diamonds have gotten more and more common on the jewellery market, Garatti highlights its inexperienced diamonds’ exclusivity, permanence and distinctive rarity as its key differentiation factors. Because the excessive jewellery maison seems to be to the long run, Garatti is specializing in preserving its time-honored craftsmanship for a brand new era. (Actually, one in every of its in-house artisans is a 19-year-old girl, sitting alongside male colleagues with a long time of expertise.)
“As a model, we’re devoted to educating and provoking anybody who encounters our world, guaranteeing that the fervour and love for this positive artwork endure via time,” Bernocco stated.
Disclosure: Garatti paid for Fashionista’s journey and lodging to report this story.
