Jewellery Maker Profile: Bulgari

Classical Origins

Pair of lapis lazuli cufflinks by Bulgari.
Pair of lapis lazuli cufflinks by Bulgari.

The now world famous Roman jewellery firm, ‘Bvlgari’ was founded in 1884 by a Greek Silversmith, Sotirios  Voulgaris (1857-). Sotirios opened his first shop in Rome on via Sistina. Being located in the tourist centre of the city, many of Bulgari’s first clients were English tourists eager to buy a piece of Rome they could take away to treasure.

The brand’s name was adapted from its founders, to sound more italian. ‘Bulgari’ incorporated the Latin ‘v’ instead of a ‘u’ to draw on the city’s ancient past and give the company a classical air.

La Dolce Vita

Bvlgari boomed in the post war years. The Dolce Vita era brought stars from Hollywood flocking to the shop on via condotti a portable piece of Rome to wear on the red carpet or riviera. Since the 1940s, Bvlargi has produced distinctly ‘Italian’ designs that have graced the necks of Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, and many others.

Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol said “When I’m in Rome I always visit Bulgari, because it is the most important museum of contemporary art”. (Childers, C.: ‘Haute Jewellery’, p. 57) The bold colour combinations used by Bulgari since the mid-1950s are not dissimilar to those found in pop-art prints produced by Warhol.

Serpenti by Bulgari wristwatch, circa 1990.
Serpenti by Bulgari wristwatch, circa 1990.

The Serpenti Collection

The Serpenti collection has become a hall-mark design for the brand. The enamel Tubogas (gas-pipe) band is both flexible and firm. It is a feat of engineering. Adapted from steel gas-pipes, strips of gold are wrapped around a copper or wooden core in a continuous row.  Through this labour intensive process the links are fixed together without soldering.