At Auctionhouse de Ruiter, a number of beautiful Bulgari jewellery and watches go under the hammer at every jewellery auction. Timeless design with an extravagant appearance. This Italian jewellery house is popular with young and older people and is now accessible to the general public due to the competitive starting price.
Vintage design jewellery is very popular. Tough Bvlgari B. Zero rings of rose gold and Cicladi necklaces and rings are offered by the Auctionhouse de Ruiter. A real opportunity to buy a Bulgari item for a nice amount. Because what started in 1884 has grown into a true status symbol in the 21st century.
Have you also become interested in buying Bulgari jewellery or Bvlgari diagono watch? Then take part in the online auction or visit the auction house in Klaaswaal.
To inform you even more, this page goes into detail about the history of this beautiful brand with iconic jewellery.
Bulgari history. From market stall to Via dei Condotti
Bulgari is an Italian jewellery brand founded in Rome by the Greek silversmith Sotirio Bulgari. The Bulgari jewellery has become synonymous with ” La Dolce Vita ” over the years. The extravagant necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings and also cufflinks were and still are adored by many Hollywood stars, Royals and other people of any stature.
The Greek silversmith who turned silver into gold
Bulgari was started in 1884 by the very talented Greek silversmith Sotirio Bulgari. Shortly after he emigrated to Italy, he started a silver shop in Naples. There, however, he was a victim of a robbery and lost almost everything.
He was left with 80 cents but with a lot of luck was able to start a stall in Rome opposite the French Academy.
In this stall he started selling silver objects again. He did not have a permit for this and so this business was quickly disrupted for the ambitious Sotirio Bulgari. Still, his persistence took him to a new corner where he could trade the goods of the widow of a Greek sponge seller.
In 1900 the time had finally come and he had his own permanent shop where he sold silver, antiques, jewellery and curiosities on Via Sistina. Soon it became too small and he moved to a larger building, this was at Via dei Condotti 28. The most prestigious street in Rome today where all the expensive fashion houses, tailors and jewellers are located. Sotirio Bulgari also began to produce jewellery in mainly archaeological style. This was very popular in Rome at the time.
In 1905 he passed the baton to his two sons who moved to Via dei Condotti 10. The company is still located here today with a branch. At that time, temporary shops were also opened in St. Moritz, for example, during the ski season and in Lucerne.
The two sons, Giorgio and Constantino, changed Bulgari’s style slightly and started making jewellery that matched the French fashion of the time, leaving the archaeological style behind.
Giorgio mainly focused on running the business while Constantino was more concerned with studying silversmithing techniques. He also researched and wrote about the history of Italian silver production. Bulgari’s focus shifted from silver to gold jewellery. This is how 2 iconic design elements of Bulgari were created. The Roman coin and the snake.
Bulgari and “La Dolce Vita” in the 60s
The Second World War was well endured by Bulgari, however, at that time almost no gemstones were used and the jewellery was only made of gold.
The children of Giorgio and Constantino entered the business and with that the era of the third generation began in the house of Bulgari. That again meant changes. This time French fashion was no longer followed as a style-determining inspiration but rather from nature and the typical Bulgari style was actually born there. The house also started experimenting with jewellery set with gemstones and coloured stones, cabochon cut stones were a favourite and are still typical in the Bulgari style to this day.
In the 60s the time of ” La Dolce Vita ” arrived and with a shop on Via dei Condotti it could not be missed that Bulgari became part of this. The Roman street became one of the most favourite places in the world. Famous movie stars, royals and other wealthy people meet on this beautiful street in Rome or go shopping together.
It made the name Bulgari internationally known in the jewellery field. Famous clients like Elizabeth Taylor were brought in by the house at the time. But Andy Warhol also used to visit the shop when he was in Rome as he considered it the best exhibition of modern art. Bulgari jewellery was very progressive at that time.
International expansion of Bulgari in the 1970s
During the 1970s Bulgari opened boutiques in New York, Geneva, Monte Carlo and Paris and the first step towards international expansion was made. The jewellery had become internationally famous for their angular shapes, bright colours, oval elements with, of course, cabochon cut gemstones.
The iconic Bvlgari Bvlgari watch
In addition to jewellery, Bulgari is also known for its luxury watches. The jewellery house took its first steps in the haute horlogerie with the launch of the Bvlgari Bvlgari watch. A legendary design of the company that is still sold unchanged and is very popular to this day.
Bulgari’s watch branch has become very successful over the years. The house even opened its own watch factory in Switzerland in the early 1980s to oversee the production itself and make the best possible product.
In 1984 Gianni, Paolo and Nicola stepped back into the company and their nephew Francesco Trapani became CEO. He would stay on until 2014 and thus even served as CEO under the LVMH group, to which Bulgari later was sold.
From jeweller to status symbol
The Bulgari jewellery meanwhile had become a status symbol and also the brand itself. That’s why Bulgari decided in 1993 to launch its first perfume, Eau Parfumee au The Vert.
The perfume line was a unique addition to Bulgari’s products. With a unisex scent that radiated contemporary and luxurious. Just like the jewellery and watches of the jeweller. Just as with the jewellery, our own production was started up in Switzerland.
The house grew so well that they went public in Milan in 1995. More products resulted from this success, such as leather goods, silk scarves, silk ties and glasses. The jeweller became a status symbol and to this day all original Bulgari products are loved and of great value for collectors.
In the year 2000 Bulgari started to grow by acquiring watch brands such as Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta. This was followed by the takeover of the Crova jewellery house and several companies specializing in watchmaking and leather goods.
In the same year, a piece of jewellery was also designed that would become iconic. The BZero1, inspired by the Colosseum in Rome. An iconic jewellery collection of jewellery that symbolizes distinctiveness and self-impression.
To make a statement in the luxury jewellery world, Bulgari opened the first Bulgari hotel ever in 2004. In the Italian fashion city of Milan, Bulgari present its status to the world. The house has since that specialized in a broad area on the most luxurious that could be found in the world without forgetting its roots.
This became clear when in 2009, after celebrating the 125th anniversary, the emblem of the snake was returned to the new Serpenti jewellery collection. A design that the house has used in its collections since the 1960s.
Acquisition of LVMH to date
In 2011 the first contract was signed with the LVMH group to buy shares in the company. This would be the start of a slow takeover that has now been completed. However, the deal included that the Bulgari family would receive a significant percentage of shares in LVMH. This meant that the family is today the group’s second largest shareholder, after the Arnault family.
The house continues to live up to its roots and still makes masterpieces in the field of jewellery and watches. It still has a watch factory in Switzerland and a huge jewellery workshop in Valenza (Italy) where the most beautiful jewellery is worked with the utmost precision.
We also see a lot of the older pieces at auctions and there are still many Royals and other celebrities who prefer jewellery from the house Bulgari.
The house also honours the past and they are still proud of old customers like Elizabeth Taylor. This customer was so important to the Bulgari house that in 2011 they bought back many pieces from the actress’s collection at a Christie’s auction. Including the emerald necklace and matching earrings that Richard Burton once gave her.
At Bulgari ”La Dolce Vita” absolutely lives on
Bulgari, Bvlgari collection from Bulgari
Bvlgari Bvlgari is a collection of jewellery consisting of rings, bracelets, brooches, necklaces, earrings and cufflinks that very clearly convey the Bulgari brand. The collection is derived from the eponymous watch collection and has the same design basis.
The watch collection first appeared in the 1970s. This was also the first step that Bulgari took in the watch world. The jewellery collection followed shortly afterwards.
The inspiration for this collection comes from the ancient Roman coins, a design element that has been iconic for Bulgari since the 1940s and is more often used in jewellery. It is the house’s collection par excellence that carries the Bulgari brand name and where it is more than clearly visible.
Bulgari is written in the logo with a ” V ” and so on this jewellery. It is a nod to the Roman script and thus a tribute to the home city of the house Bulgari, Rome.
The collection includes a few special pieces such as the ring for two fingers. This ring consists of two rings forged together with an open top made of gold. This gives a kind of ” W ” shaped piece of jewellery to which a Bvlgari Bvlgari medallion is attached to the three points on top inlaid with malachite, mother-of-pearl and sugilite.
The Gelati brooch is also a special piece. The brooch is shaped like a popsicle where a piece has been bitten. However, this piece is then filled with beautifully cut diamonds. The popsicle is inlaid with onyx and the stick is made of rose gold.
Serpenti collection from Bulgari
Bulgari Serpenti is a collection of jewellery inspired by the battle. The collection consists of rings, necklaces, earrings and bracelets. Serpenti is the Italian word for snake and it has been one of the icons typical of the Bulgari house since the 1940s.
Throughout history, the snake has been a beloved animal in jewellery stores. For example, at the French houses Boucheron and Chaumet we also see many iconic jewellery inspired by this animal. At Bulgari, the animal has played an enduring role in the collections since the 1940s.
Several pieces have been made in snake shapes over the years. The snake has also played a major role in Bulgari’s watch collections for years, and in the 1950s and 1960s this was still done in collaboration with watch houses such as Movado, Jaeger-Le-Coultre, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin. Since the 1970s, this has been done in its own watch factory in Switzerland.
For a time, the Bulgari collection mainly featured watches with the snake and jewellery faded into the background. However, in 2009 during the 125th anniversary of the house, a real Serpenti collection was launched again.
The rings in particular stand out from the collection, such as the versions that are made like a snake that curls around your fingers. Gold is used for this, which is made in the structure of a snake skin. But we also see the technology of the Tubogas collection in some rings. Then there are rings with a snake’s head on top, beautifully set with cut diamonds or other gemstones.
The Serpenti watch collection also still exists and is exclusively for women.
Monete collection from Bulgari
Monete is a collection of Bulgari jewellery consisting of rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings and even cufflinks. There is also an eponymous collection of watches from the house. The collection is inspired by one of the iconic design elements of the house: a Roman coin.
In the 60s, the Bulgari house started looking for inspiration and materials in the past. This gave rise to the idea to use real ancient Roman coins in jewellery. This continues to this day and makes the collection very rare and precious.
The design is actually quite simple and sleek made of rose or yellow gold. However, the real old Roman coin makes it special and gives the rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings or cufflinks a special archaeological look. Sometimes there are also cut diamonds and gemstones in the rings.
Parentesi collection from Bulgari
Parentesi is a collection of jewellery from the Bulgari house consisting of rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings. The collection has been around since the 1980s and is probably one of the most copied designs of the modern era.
The Parentesi jewellery was Bulgari’s answer to the needs of the working woman. The colourful but highly aesthetic high-quality design makes it great for daytime wear. At the same time, it is also very wearable with a chic evening dress. A multifunctional piece of jewellery that became very popular.
The basis of the design are interlocking modules that in this way form a very Roman design. The design is therefore inspired by the old Roman Travertine footpath with a kind of modules that connect blocks of stone. We see this best in the rings that consist of two rings of rose or yellow gold set with beautifully cut diamonds. These rings are forged on four modules and thus form one ring as a whole.
Diva’s Dream collection from Bulgari
Bulgari Diva’s Dream jewellery collection contains beautiful rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings that radiate absolute Italian elegance. It carries the legend of the diva with its mysterious and unforgettable allure. Feminine and sophisticated.
The fan-like motifs, which we see in the jewellery, are inspired by the mosaic in the Roman baths of Caracalla. Again a strong nod to the home city of the house Bulgari, the eternal city of Rome.
We see the fan motifs in all jewellery in this collection. Often inlaid with gemstones such as malachite, carnelian or mother-of-pearl. The fans are also sometimes set with cut gemstones such as emerald, diamond, aquamarine or pink tourmaline. The jewellery is always made of rose or yellow gold.