The Mediterranea High Jewellery 2023 Collection from Bvlgari is a journey through history, culture, and beauty. Born from audacious creativity and exceptional craftmanship, it retraces an imaginary trip across the Mediterranean Sea: an inexhaustible source of inspiration layering multiple arts, traditions, and crafts
Creativity, craftsmanship; past and future; heritage, and innovation: Mediterranea embodies Bvlgari’s most sophisticated multifaceted spirit and universal language of beauty and excellence. The journey starts from Rome, the eternal city and permanent source of creative inspiration for Bvlgari, to Venice, the principal crossroad of Mediterranean influences where the Roman-Byzantine Empire fused with the Roman Western Empire.
Bvlgari hosted its 2023 brand event in Venice, a symbol of openness to different cultures, bringing together distant universes and inspirations. This High Jewellery collection is an homage to Mediterranean beauty. Mediterranea is divided into three universes: The “Southern Radiance,” The “Roman Splendor,” and “East Meets West,” each of them referring to a specific constellation of symbols, atmospheres, and inspirations.
Southern Radiance
The “Southern Radiance” creations express Bvlgari’s vivacious, joyful, and fierce spirit. Intricate architecture, lush gardens, sunny coastlines, and a powerful telluric nature are some of the elements contributing to the uniqueness of Southern Italy.
The Southern Sapphire platinum necklace recalls Southern Italy’s Apulia region, where white chalky Baroque villages overlook the sea with a peaceful serenity. Requiring 1,650 hours to be completed, this lace-like soft layout of shimmering diamonds and transparent sapphires unfolds around a stunning 66.88-carat Ceylon sapphire evoking the blue depth of the Mediterranean Sea.
The Sicilian Sapphire Necklace was inspired by the architectural motifs of the Palazzo dei Normanni in Palermo. The intense blue-coloured 10.05 ct sapphire found in Sri Laka is enhanced by the presence of diamonds, sapphires, and turquoise, evoking the rich and incredibly lavish ceiling of the Palace.
Roman Splendor
The “Roman Splendor” is an emblem of magnificence. It is a series of exquisite creations that evoke some of the Eternal City’s most emblematic monuments, its unique warm light, and the fascinating mythology linked to its history.
The Ara Pacis inspired the unique layout of the Acanthus Emerald necklace. To create an incredibly balanced design, seven superior emeralds, all showing the same outstanding colour and transparency, totalling 33.59 carats, were cut into drops, and set among 60 buff-top emeralds, mounted with 68 step-cut and 58 brilliant-cut and pavé-set diamonds. The result is a masterpiece injected with timeless beauty and phenomenal craftsmanship.
The Matrona Romana necklace pays tribute to female protagonists celebrated in Ancient Rome for their style and respected personality. The necklace strongly expresses Bvlgari’s love for incredible gemstones and design. Every single oval cabochon pink tourmaline is a stand-alone gem; combined, they become an astounding layout of vivid colours and joy of 131.39 cts.
The Pantheon Monete Choker’s geometric design celebrates Rome’s architectural grandeur with interlocking gold and diamond elements evoking the coffered dome of the Pantheon. In the centre sits a 2nd-century BCE coin depicting the Goddess of Victory.
East Meets West
The “East Meets West” collection translates and expresses various elements from different countries and three continents, Europe, Africa, and Asia. With the Tribute to Venice High Jewelry necklace, the Roman Maison evokes the splendour of Venetian architecture. It features a 15.38-carat fancy yellow diamond drop complemented by an exquisite layout of yellow and white diamonds and a cascade of diamond baguettes meticulously cut to reflect light at their best.
The Emerald Lotus Necklace expresses the aesthetics of Indian spirituality in jewelled form. Creative Director Lucia Silvestri imagined the evoking design of a pashmina, soft and graceful. The majestic protagonist emerald, a maharaja stone of 37.14 carats found in Colombia, is placed horizontally, and symbolises the “third eye.” The undulating design of round brilliant-cut diamonds (48.74 ct) accented with 20 emerald beads (53.22 cts) radiating from the centre enhances the sense of spiritual magnetism.
The Turquoise Spring necklace inspired by the elegant courtyard fountains of the Middle East conveys the beauty of the world’s most serene gardens with the perfect balance of joy and strength. The patterned turquoise and diamond arrangement recalls traditional tilework in the area’s architecture. Set in white gold, the oval green tourmaline (13.46 ct) at the pendant’s centre is accentuated with 28 round green and bluish tourmalines (16.72 cts) juxtaposed with vibrant turquoise elements.
The Snake
The Snake – a powerful symbol of vitality, wisdom, and metamorphosis – Bvlgari’s signature high-jewellery emblem celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.
In the Mediterranean Sapphire Serpenti necklace, nine sapphires from Sri Lanka totalling 40.81carats evoking snake’s scales are set in a sinuous platinum and pavé diamond body construction culminating in a tassel pendant of 80 oval-shaped sapphire beads totalling 116 carats.
The Yellow Diamond Hypnosis Serpenti Necklace continues the legacy of Serpenti’s transformation. Representing the delicate balance between the powerful Serpent strength and the diamond’s beauty, the snake coils firmly wrap a fancy intense yellow diamond of 15.5 ct.
