I always get nervous handling fine jewelry. It’s a world of white gloves, special care instructions and security guards. Imagine my surprise when I meet Lucia Silvestri, Bulgari’s Creative Director, at the house’s Place Vendôme for the unveiling of Bulgari’s latest high jewelry collection in Paris and she hands me unique necklaces as if was the most natural thing in the world. “All these stones are gifts of nature,” Silvestri points out.
It all starts with the precious stones when she designs. This season, emerald caught his eye, and 30 of the 140 pieces in the Eden: Le Jardin des Merveilles collection feature the stone. The Tribute to Paris necklace, recently worn by Julianne Moore in Cannes and modeled in Paris by Carla Bruni, features a mix of emeralds and diamonds set to resemble small Eiffel towers. This is one of the reasons why Bulgari, a Roman house, decided to bring this collection to the City of Light for a presentation at the Italian Embassy.
Silvestri models another necklace, the Emerald Venus, and encourages me to not only try it on, but also flip it over to see the craftsmanship, lightness, and flexibility. The piece resembles an Italian fern called Capelvenere, she explains, in another reference to nature. There’s an undeniable ease to these initially intimidating pieces that makes them portable, almost accessible. Even the collection’s piece de resistance – the Emerald Glory necklace – is presented as a piece to be worn in four ways: as a layered necklace of diamonds and a necklace of emeralds, as two separate necklaces or as a tiara, making it makes an even more investment worthy piece of jewelry. (It also comes with an NFT digital twin.) “Don’t be shy” is the advice that Nicola Bulgari, the former vice president of Bulgari, gave Silvestri. These precious jewels make statements that are anything but.
Comments are closed.