Bulgari Is So Much More than the Serpenti Line
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Above: A site-specific installation for the Mediterranea collection at the Palazzo Soranzo Van Axel, in Venice, featured custom glass work by Venini.
The Roman jewelry house Bulgari may be most famous for the iconic Serpenti line, which celebrated its 75th birthday this spring. But while the snake is synonymous with the brand, it does not define it. Bulgari’s new high-jewelry collection, Mediterranea, makes this point spectacularly. The collection puts the house’s affinity for colored gemstones front and center, expressing the dunes of Northern Africa in citrines and mandarin garnet or the Greek coast in turquoise and sapphires. “The Mediterranean is part of Bulgari’s history,” says creative director Lucia Silvestri. “It’s very rich in terms of culture and energy. For me, it was a dream to bring all of these inspirations together.”
Silvestri starts by “sketching” with wax tablets into which she arranges gems in the shapes of different pieces—necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. (Collections always start with the necklace as that is the “most difficult creative part.”) From there, Silvestri works with her team of 12 designers and the Bulgari workshops in Rome to create the expansive collection, balancing history with contemporary artisan techniques. “Our challenge is not to forget our DNA, but have an eye to the future,” Silvestri says. Take, for example, the 76 carats of pear rubellites dangling from a collar of pavé diamonds offset by sapphires and turquoise.
That piece walked the runway at an exclusive high-jewelry show in Venice at Palazzo Ducale, where models wore sculptural Rene Caovilla shoes that offered their own interpretation of the serpent motif. Select clientele and guests could view the collection in its entirety at nearby Palazzo Soranzo Van Axel, where a site-specific installation featured custom glass works by local manufacturer Venini. To quote a certain animated mermaid: “I just don’t see how a world that makes such wonderful things could be bad."
This story originally appeared in the May 2023 issue of ELLE DECOR. SUBSCRIBE
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