Bulgari

Bulgari jewelry, beauty and splendor

Bulgari is an Italian brand of jewelery and luxury items also related to watchmaking, perfumery, leather goods and hospitality. It belongs to the French conglomerate LVMH.

Its beginnings date back to 1884 in Rome . At first it gained prestige as jewelry, although the variety of its products has grown over time to also reach watches, bags, accessories and others.

The Greek talented silversmith Sotirio Bulgari was the creator of the firm. For the beauty and splendor of crafts and jewelry, it acquired a reputation very quickly.

Although its creator is no longer among the living, his subsequent generations have taken it upon himself to create a unique style based on the balance, motifs and colors of each piece and which at the same time pays a kind of tribute to the Roman roots of the firm. Bulgari introduced innovations and new trends implanted highlights as icons of contemporary design.

Why Bvlgari?

The original name of the firm is very often written Bvlgari as a reference to the letter of the classical Latin alphabet where V equals U. Its origin comes from the surname of Sotirios Voulgaris, Greek founder of the company.

Sotirios Voulgaris, the creator of the legend

Sotirios Bulgari began his career as a jeweler in his homeland. There in Paramythia in Epirus, Greece his first store still exists. Years later in 1877, Voulgaris moved to Corfu Island and then to the Italian city of Naples. Four years later he moved to Rome, a place destined to see, in 1884 , the company and its second store on the street called Sistina.

However, the most representative of the Greek settlement was inaugurated in 1905 with his sons Constantino and Giorgio, at Condotti.

It was a kind of warehouse that soon became the place where the rich and famous came to acquire unique and high quality jewelry, designs that were reminiscent of the art of Greece and Rome.

They called it Old Curiosity Shop to attract the customer from United States or Great Britain. It was not until after 1910 when he began to specialize in jewelry, inserting creations inspired by Paris and the United States schools.

Since 1932 his sons assumed control of the company, the father died two years later. That same year widened the store that was ina ugurada on April 9, 1934.

From the 40s to the 2000s

World War II gave a show of solidarity for the Bulgari. Constantine and his wife sheltered three women in their own home. The fact would not have merit if those women had not been Jewish.

It was their own reaction to the outrage caused by the Roman Ghetto raid in October 1943. For this altruistic action, they were awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations at Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, in 2003.

Later, in the 1950s , the installation of the Cinecittà studios in Rome made the store gain recognition. Many well-known artists stopped by and wore Bulgari jewelry. Among them were Elizabeth Taylor, Marlene Dietrich, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Romy Schneider or Gina Lollobrigida.

Beginning 1970, the business consolidated and expanded. Bulgari opened its first facilities outside of Italy. They established positions in New York, Paris, Geneva, and Monte Carlo . They also maintained a showroom at The Pierre Hotel in New York. Little by little they expanded, until today they have about 230 warehouses throughout the world.

Bulgari jewelery, first silver, then gold , the style through time

After the opening of the first store, others followed in Rome and abroad. Sotirio’s sons joined and with a look to the future, they began to project investments in fine jewelry as a strategy to grow the family business. For this they took advantage of the knowledge and prestige of working in silver.

It must be said said that the ornaments carved silver Sotirio were highly appreciated by English tourists in Rome. These tourists were looking for the Grand Tour and it was thanks to them that the business prospered.

If you are looking for samples of the first fine jewelry creations they made in the 1920s, you will notice that they still reflected the design of the old French school. The designs incorporated platinum and diamonds in the Art Deco style.

The 1930s brought stunning Bulgari diamond motif jewelery combined with sapphires, emeralds and rubies. Some of them could be as bracelet or as a pendant or as a brooch.

Twenty years later, the first symptoms of a very particular style were already showing, a design that included the shine of yellow gold and the twisted spirals of the creations called Serpenti.

The seventies marked the diversity of the Bulgari Jewels. Artificial fires, snakes and Pop Art marked the time. Yellow gold became the favorite material, thick gold chains and cabochons distinguished the period.

The eighties brought volume, simple shapes, bright colors, and stylized decorative elements. In the 1990s, he continued to use yellow gold but in a less structured Bulgari style.

Bulgari jewelry, more than colors, a new style

The mid-1950s made a difference in the history of the creation of the Bvlgari Jewels. On this date they introduced combinations of precious stones and colored gems , always in eternal reminder of Roman landscapes.

The cabochon , carved shape that recalls the head for its shape, became the emblem of the brand. It was done on purpose, to exalt the royal color of the stones.

The style made the store Via Condotti became one of the places where movie stars and high society members coincide very often. The firm’s international fame for this spread to other countries.

From the third generation on, new trends could be clearly appreciated. Influences from the Far East and many other currents until reaching Pop Art, all to satisfy the tastes of modern and dynamic women.

A warm example of what has been said before is the BVLGARI BVLGARI watch , an unprecedented design and a classic from the very moment of its launch.

Bulgari jewelry, new times, new materials

Bvlgari was not detained in time. Between the 80s and 90s of the last century, a relatively close time, the firm continued to innovate jewelry that could be worn at any time of the day, jewelry that was distinguished by its versatility.

Each woman made the difference in the jewel, a unique piece and at the same time combined with hematite, coral, steel or diamond pavés . A new era marked the introduction of other non-disposable materials, including porcelain, silk and wood , a new meaning of luxury and second skin.

Bulgari and LVMH

With all the accumulated history, Bulgari did not continue on its own. In 2011, the LVMH group announced the gain of the 51% of the capital of the group and also the intention to make a public offer of friendly acquisition.

The shares rose nearly 60% that same day on the Milan stock exchange. Finally LVMH’s participation amounts to 98.09% on and a year later the Bulgari family vend tio shares of LVMH by 236.7 million euros.

LVMH supported the development of the brand. It did so through advertising investments, the creation of a purchasing center for all the group’s jewelry brands, and it installed the Italian brand in the Vendôme square in Paris. The former director of Bulgari integrated the area of watches and jewelery and the director of Fendi, assumed the direction of Italian jewelery.

By 2012, Bulgari already had 180 of its own points of sale worldwide.

Bvlgari fragances

The Bulgari firm has several widely accepted fragrances around the world. Among them are Goldea, Splendida and Omnia for women . For men, on the other hand, it offers Aqua, Blv Pour Homme, Bvlgari Le Gemme and Eau Parfumée.

Bulgari wrist watches

Bulgari wristwatches are manufactured by the company’s Swiss subsidiary, Bulgari Time SA. It was founded in 1980 in Neuchâtel. The manufacture of watches represents about 20% of the total turnover of the company.

For this Bulgari has had to develop their own calibers and parts and include very complicated mechanisms and basic calibers. The Bulgari watch collection is made up of the Bulgari-Bulgari, Assioma, Rettangolo, Ergon and Diagono lines.

An additional and important fact results from the fact that during the BaselWorld 2006 watch and jewelery exhibition, Bulgari revealed the complicated Assioma Multi Complication model, equipped with a tourbillon, a perpetual calendar and a second time zone.

Bulgari stores

Bulgari stores can be found anywhere in the world today. In North America they will find their bouti ques in Beverly Hills, Bal Harbor, Boston, Chevy Chase, Chicago and Costa Mesa.

You will also find them in Dallas, Honolulu, Houston, New York, Las Vegas, Orlando, Palm Beach, San Francisco, Wai kiki. Scottsdale, Arizona and in Mexico City.

In South America they are in Lima, Bogotá, São Paulo, Isla Margarita and Quito.

Bulgari jewelry

The Bvlgari colections include B.zero1, Divas dreams, Serpenti, Bvlgari Parentesi, and a line bride.

Accessories and furnishing articles

Bvlgari creating accessories and the leather goods handled in the workshop located in Florence . Fashion week in Milan is the stage to present its latest collections twice a year. These are the spring / summer and autumn shows / winter collection.

Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts

As if 2001 were not enough, Bvlgari S.A formed a joint venture with Luxury Group , the luxury division of Marriott International, to launch Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts.

Is a collection of hotels and of tourist destinations to worldwide. Having grown from a curated collection of three Milan, Bali, and London, it recently added Beijing, Dubai, and Shanghai. Works are also underway for 2022 in Moscow, Paris and Tokyo.

Save the Children

Bvlgari also works to favor poor children through the Save the Children association . Mark starred in the launch of a Save the Children with one jewelry collection of custom design . A part of the income obtained went to charity. Its contribution has increased over the years. In 2018 alone, Bvlgari donated $ 80 million.