Bvlgari: Everything you Ever Wanted to Know About Color

The first thing that comes to mind for anyone passionate about jewelry when they hear the word "Bulgari" is color. The name evokes images of Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry from the time of the Cleopatra movie and her two marriages to Richard Burton, international divas of the 1960s and 1970s, the era of hippies and their flowers, the pages of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, and all the bohemian chic of Italian movie stars, all of whom had passed through the doors of Bulgari’s Roman boutique on Via dei Condotti.

Bulgari showcases this entire world, virtually lost like the underwater city of Atlantis, in its Polychroma collection, which is extraordinary in many ways. Firstly, it boasts 250 pieces of jewelry, which is an impressive figure in itself, but the overall collection includes 600 items, comprising watches, glasses, bags, and perfumes, all crafted using jewelry techniques and materials. Additionally, the collection features some truly exceptional gemstones, rare even for Bulgari.

The first one is the Cosmic Vault necklace. Lucia Silvestri, Bulgari’s Creative Director of Jewelry, says that the idea for this jewelry piece came to her from looking at the famous Roman skyline with its domes and the starry sky above. The entire necklace is built around a 123.35-carat Sri Lankan sugarloaf sapphire, reminiscent of the famous 66-carat sapphire from the necklace created for Elizabeth Taylor. It is adorned with 331 buff-top sapphires, whose shades of blue emphasize the velvet glow and deep blue of the central stone. The composition is completed with 13 diamond drops.

The second necklace is called Celestial Mosaic, whose main inspiration was Jericho's 8th-century Tree of Life mosaic, with the main star being the 131.21-carat spinel from Tajikistan. This is the world’s fourth-largest spinel, unmatched in terms of quality. The spinel is accompanied by rare deep turquoise-hued tourmaline, and around it, there is a pattern of emeralds, onyx, and diamonds, referring to the same Tree of Life mosaic.

Lucia Silvestri describes the next masterpiece, the Polychromatic Bloom necklace, as "one of Polychroma's emblems." It features exceptionally strong color combinations and is adorned with three exquisite gems: a central 106.36-carat rubellite, flanked by 55.52-carat peridot and 55.11-carat tanzanite. All these stones are cabochon cut, making the necklace a true symbol of Bulgari’s history and modernity.

The renowned Trombino ring, originally designed in 1928 by Leonilde Bulgari for her mother, traiditionally features a central stone surrounded by diamond baguettes and pavé diamonds. In this collection, the Trombino platinum ring is named the Essence of Yellow, showcasing a rare over 45-carat fancy vivid yellow diamond. Here, the Asscher cut is used instead of the multi-faceted cut traditional for colored diamonds. This stunning stone is encircled by 43 step-cut diamonds and pavé settings.

Finally, the absolutely incredible piece is the Magnus Emerald necklace, designed as a flexible and fluid sautoir. It perfectly complements the natural wonder of the 241.06-carat emerald, one of the most remarkable stones ever discovered in the Colombia. This emerald is exceptional not only for its size but also for its deep green color, brilliance, and transparency. It is the largest emerald ever used by Bulgari. A final note is that this sautoir embodies the joyful and sophisticated spirit of the 1970s, which is captured in this extraordinary collection.

Courtesy: Bvlgari

Text: Elena Stafyeva