Under the night sky at Rome’s Terme di Diocleziano, one of the largest ancient Roman baths dating to between 298 and 306 AD, Bvlgari celebrated its 140th anniversary and latest jewelry collection, Bvlgari Aeterna.
The Celebration
The event’s setting further emphasized the Italian high jeweler’s emphasis on embracing its history, as guests were surrounded by ancient sculptures and ruins. Among the attendees were Bvlgari ambassadors Anne Hathaway, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Liu Yifei, Shu Qi, Hikari Mori, and Alessandro Gassman, all of whom sported the newest pieces from the Aeterna collection.
The night included a jewelry show styled by Carine Roitfeld in the Chiostro Ludovisi, a space within the Terme by its largest outdoor pool. The casting included faces such as Mariacarla Boscono, Blesnya Minher, Elisabetta Dessy, Isabella Rossellini, Carla Bruni, and Giacomo Cavalli.
Photo by Gabriel De La Chapelle, courtesy of Bvlgari.
Bvlgari’s commitment to fusing past, present, and future was further emphasized by the event’s artistic spectacles. Guests watched a blend of classic and contemporary dance between choreographer and dancer Sadeck Berrabah and ballet dancer Eleonora Abbagnato, who directs the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. Following this piece, 80 dancers choreographed by Sadek Berrabah took to the stage and moved in synchrony. Elisa, an internationally acclaimed Italian artist and songwriter, also performed following the event’s gala dinner.
Photo by Gabriel De La Chapelle, courtesy of Bvlgari.
The showcase for the Aeterna collection took place in light alabaster displays inspired by the architecture of Lina Bo Bardi and in front of custom-designed Venetian tapestries inspired by 18th-century Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s neoclassical prints. The presentation of these key creations drew further upon Rome as a unique and timeless source of inspiration for the Italian jewelry house, as their designs stood out while feeling at home among the historic walls and sculptures of the Terme.
Photo by Simone Fiorini, courtesy of Bvlgari.
Photo by Simone Fiorini, courtesy of Bvlgari.
Bvlgari’s Vista Aeterna Celebrates the City
To further celebrate Bvlgari’s 14-decade anniversary, the Fondazione Bvlgari has gifted an immersive artwork by Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis to the city of Rome from May 19 to June 15. The installation is entitled “Vista Aeterna,” sharing the name of the maison’s latest collection as it aims to celebrate Rome’s ancient and contemporary urban landscape. The installation will stand at the Piazza di Spagna, as its rotating mirrored pillars trace the path of the sun and project its luminous rays throughout the public square.
Vista Aeterna; Photo by Sabine Marcelis, courtesy of Bvlgari.
Vista Aeterna; Photo by Sabine Marcelis, courtesy of Bvlgari.
The Serpenti Aeterna Necklace Pays Tribute to Bvlgari’s Legacy
Worn by Priyanka Chopra Jonas at the celebratory event, the notable Serpenti Aeterna Necklace is the product of 2,800 hours of craftsmanship and features seven D diamond drops totaling 140 carats to celebrate each year of Bvlgari’s history. These diamond drops are held by a three-dimensional platinum wave structure, further embellished with 698 baguette diamonds weighing 61.81 carats. The necklace pays tribute to the Maison’s Bvlgari Serpenti, first originating within the fashion house in 1948, which now serves as a consistent emblem in their collections and pieces.
As described by Jean-Christophe Babin, the CEO of Bvlgari Group, “Serpenti Aeterna represents the pinnacle of excellence. It blends the most extraordinary diamonds recently crafted together with Serpenti, the most desired jewelry and watch symbol of the last decades, brought by Cleopatra to Rome in 46 BC and reborn in 1948 thanks to the visionary Bulgari family.”
The Serpenti Misteriosi Dragone Watch Converges the Old and the New
The Serpenti Misteriosi Dragone high jewelry secret watch is a nod to 2024 as the year of the dragon, as it combines their classic Bvlgari snake with a rebirth into the mythical creature: an image of history and future. Completed in over 960 hours, the watch consists of 32 carats of stones, a tubolari bracelet, a snake head built with baguette-cut diamonds, and the Piccolissimo watch movement. The watch further serves as a reference to Elizabeth Taylor’s snake-shaped Bvlgari watch, worn in 1962.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas in the Serpenti Aeterna Necklace; courtesy of Bvlgari.
Courtesy of Bvlgari.
A Sparkling Celebratory Watch
“To illustrate eternity, we decided to bring new guests on our journey. We imagined timeless mythical animals that are therefore eternal. The phoenix is an eternal creature which is constantly reborn,” explained Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Bvlgari Watch Division Creative Director. The imagery of a phoenix thus sparkles in the Fenice High Jewelry Watch, a vision of blue, pink, and purple sapphires, amethysts, rubies, pink garnets, tanzanites, iolites, aquamarines, and diamonds combining to over 160 carats of stones. The watch requires over 3,000 hours for completion and contains a rare 9.78-carat Parabia tourmaline in the watch dial center.
In addition to signifying renewal and metamorphosis, much like the classic Bvlgari snake, the phoenix additionally pays tribute to the legacy Roman Empire, as haloed phoenixes represented the emperor on coins.
Courtesy of Bvlgari.
