The smooth, dome-shaped cabochon is the gem cut most associated with Bulgari, as the clean silhouette of the cabochon both concentrates the saturation of the gem's colour as well as offering big volumes. In the 1950s, when Bulgari forged its jewellery approach, the Bulgari family shunned the fashionable 'Paris-style' obsession with facetted gemstones and committed to the more unusual cabochon. Bravely contemporary, this look became synonymous with a new wave of jewellery design and defined Bulgari's defiant attitude.
Early jewellers used this ancient stone cut before developing more sophisticated faceting techniques and named it after the old French word 'caboche', which means head. Today, this curvaceous round cut with no facets is still a trademark of Bulgari's bold style, often featuring a vibrant array of opulent, glossy colour gemstones in generous proportions.
In an audacious twist of tradition, Bulgari has taken the fluid lines of the cabochon and created from its instantly recognisable outline a line of gold rings and pendants; there is no gemstone in sight. As simple as a drop of gold, this malleable metal takes on a distinctly modern form of beauty. Witty and sophisticated, the timeless appeal of the cabochon finds new life in the sculptural forms of a ring and pendant in either rose or yellow gold. The visual pun continues in the incisions under the dome, mimicking the flat base of the cabochon cut and its setting.
Absolute mastery of goldsmithing is required to create the seamless silhouettes of these starkly minimalist jewels. Bulgari transforms the cabochon shape into a modern art form by tapping into the craft goldsmithing, refined in its Italian workshops. Perfectly smooth contours, mirror polishing and precise bevelling are the work of master artisans who fully understand the limits of gold and then push them further.
The first two jewels are a ring and a pendant. The ring flows around the finger with liquid ease, and the shank tapers down to provide an ergonomic fit. The pendant reveals the entire outline of a double cabochon, like two gemstones back to back. In keeping with Bulgari Cabochon's spirit of restrained elegance, the chain is seamlessly integrated into the design.
Emblematic, timeless and universal in its simplicity, Bulgari Cabochon is set to become an icon of this Roman jewellery house dares to write its own rules.
