Bulgari chose the luxurious Italian Embassy in Paris, a privé hotel built in 1732, to launch Eden The Garden of Wonders collection in 2022. It was the perfect setting for the combination of lush lawns, flower gardens and rooftop lounges. High and classic elegance.
Bulgari’s Eden The Garden of Wonders collection of 140 jewelery masterpieces was unveiled at the dinner, where Carla Bruni sang in a stunning Tribute to Paris emerald and diamond choker (below) and Anne Hathaway wrapped in a locket necklace with flowing diamonds and tassels.
The theme of the collection is the world of flowers and plants, but all Bulgari’s breathtaking ability to bring life and excitement to the most precious gems. Vibrant colors and rich details are at the heart of this collection, which is divided into three themes centered around 30 emerald gemstones. Bulgari is known for its bold use of gemstones and especially emeralds, and the brighter, juicier and bigger the stone, the better. This cheerful use of color is characteristic of Bulgari, which is so closely associated with Dolce Vita and the glamor of Rome in the 1950s, when the Italian film industry around Cinecittà was at its peak. The style continued into the 1960s, when the emerald was still very present in many Bulgari jewels.
It is much more difficult to find high-quality, large-sized gems today than it was in the 1950s and 1960s, but Bulgari has an exceptional ability to find the rare specimens that are still around. Along with the company’s gem deposit accumulated over decades and the skill of its creative director and stone sourcing guru, Lucia Silvestri, Bulgari can be proud to have one of the best selections of colored gemstones in the world. And he sure knows what to do with these mineral wonders.
The most stunning example is Emerald Glory (above), a soft, lace-like piece that can be worn as a necklace, pendant, or tiara. A grid of 220 carats of diamonds forms the body of the piece, which is decorated with 11 Colombian pear-shaped emeralds. Bulgari master jewelers spent over 3,000 hours of work to bring this creation to life. It is a fascinating combination of frozen diamonds and vibrant green emeralds that glide smoothly on the skin.
The Tribute to Paris necklace worn by Carla Bruni features architecturally and geometrically tiny Eiffel Tower designs that sparkle like the city at night and sparkle around a 35.53 carat oval Colombian emerald. Playful and with a quirky history, this necklace is a fascinating example of how easily Bulgari can weave gems of infinite value. A completely different style, the Venere Smeraldo necklace (below) is inspired by Capelvenere, the Italian name for a Mediterranean fern whose name means hair of Venus. Twisted diamond branches with emerald green pearls grow around a 20 carat octagonal Colombian emerald. The art of this jewelry is the harmony achieved between the symmetry of the emerald and the luxurious interlacing and swaying of the branches. A stunning watch with a mint green tourmaline dial completes this impressive set.
The Mediterranean Reverie necklace (below) is one of the most precious gems ever created by a Roman jeweler. A 107.15 carat quilted Sri Lankan sapphire with a deep yet translucent blue hue is suspended from a platinum link chain set entirely with baguette-cut sapphires and hundreds of diamonds. The effect captures the moment when your guide in the Blue Grotto of Capri splashes the oar in the water and for a moment the water droplets floating in the air sparkle like diamonds and the sea is a sapphire pool.
No Bulgari collection is complete without new incarnations of the snake, and the Serpenti Ocean Treasure features two intertwined snakes. Twisting Diamond’s bodies wrap sensually around the neck and their collective head contains a teardrop shaped 61.30 carat Sri Lankan sapphire. The abundance of flowers in full bloom is crystallized in the beautiful Flowers of Eden necklace, an abundance of gemstone flowers. The vibrancy of tourmaline, carnelian, amethyst and emerald contrasts with the opacity of the pearl leaves. The Flowers of Eden necklace captures the joyful spontaneity of life, like a bouquet bursting with life that took 1500 hours of painstaking work.
The Garden of Eden collection also includes five exceptional timepieces, each a fine example of this rare art and an area in which Bulgari is gaining ground. The Garden of Eden Tourbillon bracelet (above) perfectly reproduces a Mediterranean garden with two sparkling electric blue opal butterflies and luscious blooming flowers. All this was accomplished with 6,500 gemstones with a total weight of 223 carats, including Paraiba tourmalines, emeralds, garnets, tourmalines, opals, rubies, sapphires and diamonds. The back of the bracelet can be detached for use as a brooch and the timepiece is powered by a refined tourbillon caliber. Bulgari’s new miniature Piccolissimo mechanical movement is hidden in the Piccolissimo Giardinno dell’Eden watch, which explodes with an explosion of flowers and has a psychedelic 60s vibe in fuchsia, red and yellow. The collection reflects Bulgari’s dedication to elevating creativity and craftsmanship in both fine jewelry and sophisticated timepieces, all with a quintessential Italian style, love of color and a touch of humor.