Tremblant brooches that move with the wearer, coin jewelry inspired by ancient Rome, snake bracelets and chunky ’70s gold jewelry — all these are part of Bulgari’s heritage as an ever-evolving force of creativity.
In his new book,
Bulgari: Treasures of Rome, author Vincent Meylan traces the Italian firm’s colorful history. But Meylan goes beyond a mere recitation of facts. By focusing on the firm’s famous clientele and the extraordinary jewels Bulgari created for them, he paints an intimate timeline. Lush photographs present the pieces in their full glory, but it is the behind-the-scenes details of these customers that tell the real story.
The first step in the evolution of the Bulgari style was the end of World War I, according to the author. “Before that, Bulgari jewelry was very much silver and gold worked in a very refined way by Sotirio Bulgari” — the first of the family to come to Rome at the end of the 19th century.
“Everybody always assumes that Bulgari became a world-famous jeweler after World War II, with the Dolce Vita. It is not true,” continues Meylan. “Bulgari became a world-famous jeweler in 1925, when all the beautiful people came to Rome from Europe and the US to enjoy the life of leisure the city offered. They all went to Bulgari to buy jewels or to have their old jewels reset.”
An evolving style
The evolution of the Bulgari style, says the author, is intrinsically linked to the family, starting with Sotirio and continuing with his sons, Constantino and Giorgio, and later their children, Gianni, Paolo and Nicola, and cousins Marina and Ana.
“Sotirio was all about silver, but he definitely brought a kind of Byzantine influence,” he explains. “Giorgio was very much about huge stones, and he brought the haute joaillerie touch. He is the one who sold jewels to Barbara Hutton, one of the greatest collectors of her time. Constantino was more about precious objects, like jade, snuffboxes, gold and silver pieces.”
Foundation stones
In terms of what set Bulgari jewels apart, “precious stones come first,” Meylan states, pointing to the cut of the gems as an important component. “The firm was the first to use cabochons, while so many other jewelers were only using faceted stones.”
Another hallmark, he says, is the “assemblage” of colors: Green with blue, red with green. Bulgari was one of the first to use such contrasts. “There is definitely an Oriental influence there, coming from Greece, the motherland of the Bulgari family, and beyond Greece, from all of the Byzantine world.”
Asked to name some of the firm’s extraordinary creations, the author points to necklaces from the early 1960s. “The most famous is the Elizabeth Taylor emerald necklace, but my personal favorite is the ruby and diamond necklace made for [Italian noblewoman] Princess Elvina Pallavicini. There was also a sapphire and diamond version featuring amazing stones.”
Who’s who of famous customers
The rich and famous and the royal tended to be repeat customers for Bulgari; many even became collectors. Meylan starts the book with the story of a wealthy client for whom Giorgio Bulgari designed a legendary diamond necklace. She brought the jeweler a glittering array of customers that included film stars — Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Marlene Dietrich — and American tycoons.
“The lady was the countess Dorothy di Frasso, an American heiress who had married a Roman aristocrat,” recounts the author. The countess knew glamorous Hollywood people, “who would show up at parties she gave at her elaborately decorated Roman home, the Villa Madama, in the 1920s.”
In terms of other royals, there was Count Vittorio Cini, “who used to buy entire showcases of jewels. And then there are the Roman families, Colonna, Torlonia, Pallavicini, all living in their stupendous palaces.... Some of them still own very important pieces.”
And of course there were the Italian cinema stars, such as Gina Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren and Anna Magnani. Elizabeth Taylor was perhaps the most famous of Bulgari’s American clients, but other US notables included artist Andy Warhol and high-society doyennes Brooke Astor and Babe Paley.
Meylan, whose other works include
Christie’s: The Jewellery Archives Revealed and
Van Cleef & Arpels: Treasures and Legends, spent about three years writing this book and took about 20 trips to Rome to gain a better sense of his subject, he recalls. “To get to know Bulgari, you also have to know Rome.”
Image: CPVM; Alamy Stock Photo; FD Gallery/Tony Falcone Studios; Antonio Barrellla/Studio OrizzonteArticle from the Rapaport Magazine - May 2018. To subscribe click here.