Cinemagia, Bulgari’s high jewellery collection for 2019, is inspired by world of film. From Italian black and white classics to Hollywood and even Disney, Bulgari has scoured a vast range of films to create a narrative to draw together one of its largest ever high jewellery collections.
One jewel stands out as quite literally bringing the realm of film into jewels. The Action! necklace (above) is a replica of a piece of old-fashioned celluloid film complete with frames and perforations along the edges made of zirconium and diamonds. In case the reference was not clear, a miniature version of the flat round cans used to store film has been added to the choker. Each frame has a diamond picked out in black as naturally, the film is about a diamond. If like me, you were wondering what zirconium is, here is the explanation from Bulgari: ‘(zirconium is) a hyper resistant metal which Bvlgari first introduces in the high jewelry business.’
Disney has its place in the world of Bulgari in the form of the Fairy Wings (above) necklace that transports us to the enchanted world of Peter Pan and in particular the fairy Tinkerbell. Putting aside the unexpected reference to a much-loved English children’s storybook, the necklace is Bulgari through and through with its rich, glossy drops of luscious-coloured gems.
Likewise the Dolce Vita Colours (above) necklace takes a classic Bulgari silhouette to even brighter Technicolor realms.The Legendary Diva necklace with emeralds, mother of pearl, rubellites and diamonds reminds us of Bulgari’s role as jeweller to the stars, that started when the film industry flocked to Rome and Cinecittà was created, the birthplace of the legendary screen divas of Italy.
Read more about the style of Bulgari here.
Emeralds feature strongly as the stone most closely associated with the maison along with Elizabeth Taylor, who frequented Bulgari when she was in Rome filming Cleopatra in 1963 and famously met Richard Burton. The Emeralds Affair necklace (above) is very similar to Elizabeth Taylor’s sapphire sautoir of a similar design given to her by Richard Burton on her 40th birthday in 1972. Today’s version has a 24.46-carat at its heart, which is significantly smaller than the 65-carat cabochon sugar-loaf cut sapphire in Liz’s original necklace that is now part of Bulgari’s museum collection. Other Elizabeth Taylor film references include the dramatic Cleopatra ‘poncho’ necklace (below). I have never heard of a ‘poncho’ but it describes the shoulder to shoulder jewel perfectly.
Unusual for Bulgari, diamonds and pearls make their presence known. The Diamond Cascade (below) is a shower of diamonds and pearls that can be worn as a necklace or draped in the hair. Its extravagant design is a tribute to Claudia Cardinale’s role of Angelica in Visconti’s film ‘The Leopard’. Rather less Italian is the platinum Diamond Wonder necklace inspired by the much-overused 1953 Marilyn Monroe song ‘Diamonds are a girl’s best friend’ from the film ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’.
Most intriguing is the Roman Landscape necklace (below) that depicts in wood, malachite and diamonds, the umbrella trees of Rome’s via Aurelia. If you missed the film link in this design, I can share with you that the same umbrella pines star in the opening scene of the 1962 film ‘Il Sorpasso’ by Dino Risi.
Putting aside the narrative and the Action! film necklace, for me the low point of the collection, these jewels are a joyous assembly of Bulgari brilliance. The dramatic use of colour, daring combinations of materials and the excellent craftsmanship are the stamp of Bulgari’s prowess.
Call it Fairy Wings if you want, but to me it is Italian design genius and craftsmanship at its best.
