Spanning five of the arches on St Mark's Square, to enter Nardi is to step back into old-style luxe. The Nardi family business concentrates on making a very particular kind of luxury jewellery infused with the richness of Venice's history. The style is instantly recognisable, from blackamoor or "Moretto" brooches depicting bejewelled Africans to brightly coloured gemstone rings with a sense of bacchanalian fun, and the more sober golden St Mark's lion cufflinks. So artisanal are the production methods, it is estimated that, since the 1940s when Nardi first opened its doors in Venice, no more than 7,000 jewels have been handcrafted in the ateliers above the shop floor by a total of 10 craftsmen.
