Object History
From nineteenth century Italy to present day Florida, the Aletto family has been hand-crafting fine jewellery for five consecutive generations. In 1889, the house’s story began when Neapolitan Bartolomeo Aletto was commissioned to design and produce a piece of jewellery commemorating the completion of the Eiffel Tower at the Exposition Universelle in Paris.
Bartolomeo’s son, Raffaele, continued his father’s legacy, working for many leading Italian jewellers of the day. In 1949, Raffaele’s son, Alberto, left Naples for Caracas, Venezuela, where he established a factory with more than 100 employees. The company moved to New York City in the 1960s.
Alfredo Aletto (Bartolomeo’s great-grandson) established the Aletto Brothers family business at 119 E Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, Florida.
Alfredo crafts each piece, through each step of fabrication, rather than having workers dedicated to each stage. This is unusual in modern jewellery houses. He is self-taught, having learnt by experimenting with different techniques until he mastered them. He made up his mind to learn and master ‘invisible’ setting. He then approached Van Cleef & Arpels, who had pioneered the method in the 1930s. He met with Claude Arpels himself and was offered contract work for the company in the mid-1980s.
Alfredo and his four children, Alberto, Amy, Luigi and Mario continue the business today, where they have been part of Boca Raton’s downtown community for more than 30 years.
With thanks to Anne Mock, GG, Associate Specialist, Phillips Auctioneers and Aletto Brothers website.
