Un charm in the name of metamorphosis. For 75 years she has always shed her skin, showing herself each time stronger, more precious, more powerful. The anniversary is celebrated in a workmanlike manner: to celebrate its sinuous Serpenti icon, Bulgari promises to amaze customers, curious people and admirers. The collection, born in the 1950s under the sign of unstoppable creativity, is arriving in Milan with the exhibition Snakes. 75 Years of Infinite Tales.
75 years of Serpenti
«Its sensuality lies precisely in the transformation: for us it will always be infinite. AND the metamorphosis concerns not only the snake, but also our states of mindour life path, society… we look at all these aspects, to interpret them in the best possible way” explains Lucia Silvestri, creative director of Bulgari jewelry.
She proudly shows us one of the splendid e unpublished creations of High Jewelery that will be exhibited at Serpenti Factory, a chapter of the exhibition that embraces different aspects of this icon, from multisensory technologies to heritage and high craftsmanship. Where the Mediterranean Mystic Serpenti necklace stands out, containing a hypnotic cabochon emerald of over 10 carats: «It is a semi-rigid necklace but with a soft touch, where spirals of amethysts, diamonds and emeralds welcome a surprising gem: not only to enhance it, but to symbolically protect this magical wonder of nature. Giving softness to the body was very difficult, the stone cutouts were created and mounted specifically to contain the emerald without covering it.”
Zendaya at the 2021 Venice Film Festival with the Bulgari Hypnotic Emerald necklace. (Getty Images)
Any stones that are not only precious, but also milestones? Serpenti’s debut in the 1940s as a jewel watch revisited with Tubogas spirals, the first forays into jewelery in the 1950s and, in the 1960s, the variants in which the flexible body is covered with handmade scales, introducing materials like enamels. The chromatic pigmentation of the scales with vitreous paste it involved three days of preparation, and the entire process could require up to two hundred hours of work.
The traveling exhibition
The traveling exhibition will travel between Shanghai, Seoul, Dubai and Tokyo. The only European protagonist, Milan. Many multisensory experiences: from immersive rooms to 3D Snakes, up to the screenings of documentary films in the “Cinemino”. Intriguing are the Italian and international artists whom Bulgari asked to interpret, with their own vision, the iconic serpentine shape: the results range from illustration to 3D printing, between real and multimedia sculptures.
Among the leading names, the Roman Quayola, famous for its media-art works, among the favorites of director Lucia Silvestri. «The choice of artists was a choral effort, similar to the spirit of the Serpenti collection: we want to make it contemporary, maintaining its unmistakable imprint. The comparison with these artists brought many ideas and new ideas!». Inspirations, he explains, also come from discussions with the many customers who ask for advice on their jewels. «Instagram has proven to be very useful: recently, in a video, I showed how to wear a Serpenti jewel. Many went to the store to see it in person and have fun wearing it in the same way! Even in this virtual world, there is a lot of satisfaction.”
Lucia Silvestri, creative director of Bulgari jewelry (center), together with brand ambassadors Pryanka Chopra and Zendaya, at the inauguration event of the Bulgari Hotel in Rome.
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From 11 October to 19 November, Dazio di Levante, Piazza Sempione, Milan. Reservations on bulgari Serpenti75 Milan
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