It was no coincidence that Fernand Braudel, a great scholar of the Mediterranean, dedicated his latest work to Venice. A considered city summa of an eternal encounter, that between East and West, which has marked the millennial history of Our sea. For this reason “Mediterranea”, the new Bulgari high jewelery collection, is perhaps the most philosophical ever proposed by the Roman maison, which was born thanks to a journey from East to West, that of the silversmith Sotirios Voulgaris, who arrived in Rome from Greece in 1884.
Under the fourteenth-century loggia of Palazzo Ducale, overlooking the San Marco basin, 400 creations were presented last Tuesday, where among extraordinary gems such as Colombian emeralds and well over 65-carat Ceylon sapphires, echoes of Byzantium, architecture North African gardens, Italian gardens and the unfailing beauty of Rome’s monuments. A collection and an event that narrated the sense of a community even in the details, such as the walkway of mosaics created by the Orsoni 1888 furnace, the last in the city, where the models paraded wearing Cleo sandals by the Venetian René Caovilla, embellished snake, symbol of the Roman maison. Bulgari’s bond with the Serenissima was already very close: in 2017 it had presented the high jewelery “Festa” in the Scuola Grande della Misericordia and even before moving to LVMH, in 2008 the maison had financed the restoration of the Scala d’Oro precisely at the Doge’s Palace. Once again, the entire collection, with prices ranging from 100,000 to several million euros, has already been sold, with requests also for multiples.
“The entire segment ofhigh end, therefore fine jewelery and fine watchmaking, was the great winner of the post-Covid period – comments Jean-Christophe Babin, Bulgari CEO for ten years -. There is emotion in these creations, but also investment opportunities, especially in these times of inflation and high liquidity. In particular, colored stones are highly sought after, and we have been one of the proponents of this appreciation precisely because of our historical passion for these gems. We have also “discovered” new ones, such as the Paraiba tourmaline, which nobody talked about ten years ago and which today has higher prices than diamonds». Just a diamond, but blue, confirms Babin’s reading: just as Mediterranea was being unveiled to the public, in Geneva Sotheby’s beat the 11.16-carat “Blue Lagoon” for the record sum of 25 million dollars. “When Bulgari made and sold it in the 1970s, its price was a fraction of what it is today,” notes the CEO.
In the first quarter of 2023, the Watches&Jewelry division of Lvmh recorded an increase of 11% compared to the same period of 2022, with revenues of almost 2.6 billion euros: «The performance exceeded our expectations and the month of April was in line – continues Babin -. The greatest growth is confirmed in the highest part of our offer, which also concerns perfumes and leather goods». A line that also passes through hotels, another storytelling channel for the brand, which on 9 June will also include the awaited opening in Rome: «We aim to have about 20 units all over the world, who knows, perhaps even in Venice one day, from offer our community of customers who love to rediscover the Bulgari experience even when traveling – adds the CEO -. Hotels have a success which confirms the attractiveness of our brand and they also play an important role in recruiting and expanding our clientele». With which the maison aims to strengthen the bond by also passing through technology.
If in the 2022 high jewelery collection only one jewel was also designed in the Nft version, this year their number rises to three. And the aim, in the near future, is to extend the formula to everyone, also bringing into jewelery what has been happening in Bulgari bags for four years, all equipped with an NFC microchip that communicates with the smartphone, providing customers with news and previews. Innovation and contaminations don’t stop. Like the Mediterranean according to Braudel: not a single sea, but “a succession of seas”.