Collectors flocked to Rome’s Baths of Diocletian (Terme di Diocleziano) to celebrate the 140th anniversary of this Roman jeweler.
Over the past week, the streets of Rome, the Eternal City, have been graced by luxury cars shuttling between fashionable hotels and one of the city’s most precious landmarks – the Terme di Diocleziano. What’s causing all this excitement? The answer is simple: Bvlgari’s Aeterna collection.
The Italian jeweler commandeered the entire Roman baths to showcase its latest high jewelry and watch collection, Aeterna. The ancient Roman baths were first opened to the public in 2006. Released to mark the brand’s 140th anniversary, the collection is a tribute to its birthplace.
Various pieces of jewelry are united by Bvlgari’s signature design styles, which in turn inherit Rome’s rich history – from the shapes of tiles adorning monuments to the emperors who ruled it, and even the morning light that filters through dappled trees onto the streets each day.
Aeterna is also Bvlgari’s most luxurious high jewelry collection to date. The brand’s CEO, Jean-Christophe Babin, noted that their high-end clientele has largely been unaffected by the financial turmoil that has shaken other parts of the world. He displayed watercolor illustrations of some star auction pieces in his temporary office at the Terme di Diocleziano.
“As a result, we’ve also dared to introduce more expensive pieces than ever before,” he said. Babin estimated that behind the glass in the adjacent hall (once a grand entrance that received 3,000 Roman bathers at a time), about 100 pieces of jewelry were priced over one million euros.
The star among these millionaire jewels is the Serpenti Aeterna diamond necklace, priced at a staggering 40 million euros. It is set with 7 pear-shaped diamonds totaling 140 carats, commemorating Bvlgari’s 140th anniversary, interspersed with baguette-cut diamonds in a snake-like design. All seven diamonds were cut from a single rough stone of over 200 carats, sourced from the Kingdom of Lesotho.
The 140-carat weight for the anniversary celebration was carefully considered. Later that evening, at the Aeterna fashion show and dinner, Babin explained to guests (including Bvlgari ambassadors Anne Hathaway and Priyanka Chopra) that the rough stone could have yielded an additional 10 carats, but he chose not to use them to achieve the symbolic number of 140. Of course, those 10 carats are likely to appear in another Bvlgari piece.
The Serpenti Aeterna necklace is unusual for Bvlgari as it celebrates colorless diamonds. The brand is renowned for its bold use of colored gemstones, a style maintained in other pieces of the collection.
The Terra Mater Serpenti necklace, featuring a diamond and emerald snake coiled around a massive round emerald, illuminated the city in promotional photos shot with Zendaya during the ten-day high jewelry event.
Bvlgari’s Lotus Cabochon necklace is a bib of circular-set turquoise, emerald, ruby, and amethyst, utilizing Bvlgari’s tower-setting style to make the gemstones appear like pebbles.
High jewelry watches are also a focus of Aeterna. They range from simple dials hidden in snake mouths to elaborate timepieces that look more like jewelry than watches.
The Fuochi D’artificio watch features precious and semi-precious stones set on black onyx, recreating fireworks in the night sky. Its smaller sister, the Fuochi D’artificio Petite, boldly incorporates the night sky design.
The Fenice watch, which took over 3,000 hours to create, uses pink and purple sapphires, amethysts, rubies, pink garnets, tanzanites, purple garnets, aquamarines, and diamonds, inspired by Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s altar painting in Rome’s Santa Maria della Vittoria church. A small dial containing Bvlgari’s mini Piccolissimo movement is hidden beneath a 9.78-carat Paraiba tourmaline.
“We love to own this territory,” says Antoine Pin, Managing Director of Bvlgari’s High Jewelry Watch Division. “Several brands can do it, but few dare to go that far.”
Throughout its 140-year history, the bold spirit of Bvlgari, Rome’s most important jeweler, has radiated an eternal spirit alongside the city.
Bvlgari’s Aeterna Collection: A Dazzling Display of Million-Euro Masterpieces
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