The secrets of Bvlgari High Jewelry: exclusive gems and 200,000 hours of work

This spring, Bvlgari presented its new High Jewelery collection in Milan, Magnifica, at an event that brought together many well-known faces and became a spectacular ode to beauty, joy and elegance after a very complicated year. If these pieces transmit something, it is precisely that desire to enjoy again, dress up for a party and show the best version of ourselves. Once again, the Italian house made an impact with its High Jewelry proposals, a totally exclusive line composed of the most select pieces of the firm, authentic works of art worthy of a museum studded with impressive colored gems and diamonds. The production of these designs is very different from that of the rest of the collections, and is that they are manufactured in an artisanal way, using some of the rarest stones in the world to create absolutely unique and luxurious models. Magnifica, which has required hundreds of thousands of hours of work, is made up of 122 works, among which there are 60 valued at more than one million euros. But what is it like to create these fabulous jewels? Lucia Silvestri, creative director of Bvlgari, reveals all the secrets from her workshop in Rome.

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- Since when do you have a High Jewelry line at Bvlgari? What does it mean for the brand to have this type of collection? From the beginning. It is a way of sharing the beauty of jewels, the most artistic face. We want to convey the importance of beauty, we have precious stones, incredible colors, crafts... They are works of art in the Italian way and we seek to convey that message of beauty.

- What type of women are these designs aimed at? We have jewelery for all types of women: self-confident, romantic, simple... I love to wear them not only for a special event but some finer ones for any occasion.

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- What makes Magnifica 2021 different from Bvlgari's previous High Jewelry lines? This collection is a tribute to magnificent women, there is a kind of rebirth after the pandemic. We wanted to share the beauty and the joy, the colors, etc.

- The selection of the stones is very important for you, how is that process? It is a very laborious process, first I have to select the gems and then check the cut, see if we want to cut them again... This is really the point starting point for the new collections: first the stones are chosen and then, based on them, the jewel is designed. We actually have two processes, the first when we work with gems and design around them, and the other when we work with diamonds. In this other case, we start designing and then we acquire the diamonds, because they are easier to find than colored stones.

DISCOVER THE MOST IMPRESSIVE PIECES OF THE COLLECTION IN THE GALLERY

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- What would you say is the most special stone that has been used in Magnifica? In this collection we have used many magnificent stones, we can speak for example of paraiba tourmalines [a stone famous for its intense color and considered one of the rarest in the world]. The Mediterranean Queen necklace is a piece with five paraiba tourmalines, the central one has 153 carats. I started with that one, the idea was to create a necklace with only one stone, after two weeks I decided to add another two and ended up adding another 2. We created a great necklace, a 'wow' necklace that only Bvlgari can make, and this is it. Because of the stones of course, because of their style and quality, but also because of their craftsmanship, the work is very difficult because the gems are very heavy and we wanted to create a piece that was not very heavy, but strong and that holds well.

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- Is that your favorite piece from the collection? It's one of my favorites. I love wearing it, and thinking about how Bvlgari is the master brand in this type of magnificent necklaces. It is one of the typical pieces that show that Bvlgari makes history in jewelry. Also the Imperial Spinel, 131 carats, another of my favorites, but I don't have a favorite. Another is the Ruby Metamorphosis, it's beautiful, it's incredible. The challenge here was the craftsmanship, this necklace can be worn in 9 different ways, you can wear it complete, just the choker [of rubies and diamonds], with and without the tassel, and then the pendant is a brooch.

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- Not only do you work with gems, but the Monete Weave necklace that Chiara Ferragni wore in the private concert at the La Scala Theater is decorated with a coin from the Roman Empire whose origin is estimated between the years 54-68 AD. What is it like to have objects like this, worthy of any archaeological museum?Monete is one of the iconic models of Bvlgari, from the beginning we have worked with these ancient coins from Greece or the Roman Empire. In this case, at Magnifica we wanted to pay tribute to women and the inspiration is Zaha Hadid, one of our muses. You can see the geometry in the design, but it is flexible and articulated like her style, I like the mix between Bvlgari and Hadid, I connect a lot with her way of being.

- Where do you get this type of coins and such special pieces? We have intermediaries, it is a very secret market where small collectors go and select the coins. But it's all because of Bvlgari, which has access to it and has this closeness to creativity. Coins are emblematic of the firm and we continue to use them, and we do it in a very different way.

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- How long does it take to create this type of jewelry? More or less 1500 hours, but there are some up to 2200.

- What is the most difficult part of the creative process? The most difficult thing for craftsmen is to achieve flexibility. We don't want to create stiff and uncomfortable pieces, we want something that is modern and geometric but also comfortable to wear. I have tried on all the jewelery that we have at Magnifica, I like to understand them, see if they are comfortable and wearable.

- Why did you decide to hold this first major post-pandemic event in Milan? Because it was like a rebirth of the city, it was a gift that we wanted to give her because the pandemic has suffered a lot, it is one of the worst. In addition, we have a beautiful hotel, a beautiful shop and we wanted to 'relaunch' Milan in some way and enjoy life, parties and joy.

- What moment do you consider to be the most special of these days? Seeing the people, the clients and the press again, it was very exciting to start again and show our collection with that positive message of beauty, joy and art . It was incredible to see how eager people were to enjoy life.