2019-10-01 Singapore Tatler

thejewellertothestars.
The spirit oftheDolceVitaerais
captured in Bvlgari’s latest Cinemagia
high jewellery collection. “There were a
lot of stars who wore our jewels during
the Dolce Vita period, and looking
through our archives, they wore them
for both formal and informal occasions,
and with a kind of attitude. Right now,
we want to create jewels that the ladies
can also wear outside of a formal setting—in different layers,
as a choker, with a chain, basically playing around with
jewels,” jewellery creative director Lucia Silvestri enthused
during the collection’s regional launch in July at the newly
opened Six Senses Thimphu in Bhutan.
Presenting the collection against a backdrop of majestic
mountains and sacred monasteries in the Himalayan
kingdom, a country synonymous with the concept of
“gross national happiness”, was a deliberate decision.
“It’s the kingdom of happiness and we want to share the
same feeling with our clients, in the same way we want
the Bvlgari jewels to communicate joy and happiness,
as well as our approach to living larger than life,” said
high jewellery director Giampaolo della Croce.
And who better than Taylor truly embodied this spirit
of joie de vivre? Burton would often lavish his lover
with sparkling baubles. One of these was a sautoir with a
65-carat sugarloaf cabochon sapphire he gifted her for her

0thbirthday in 1972, and that is now part of the Bvlgari

eritage Collection. Bvlgari returned Taylor’s affection

reimagining the necklace in a bold, geometric design

chored with a 24.46-carat octagonal step-cut emerald,

lling it the Emerald Affair.

INEMATIC ROLE

uchlike how an actress portrays a role in a film, Silvestri

ghlighted that unique gemstones define an entire creation.

heX factor that she looks for in the perfect gem: “Colour

themost important; then clarity, size and cut. I also like

ones with personality. They don’t really have to be perfect,

erecan be some inclusions which means that the stones

arealive. We’d then announce the beauty of the stone with

ourcreativity, mixing it with other colours and stones.”

One only has to look at the combination of precious gems

(emerald drops, rubies and diamonds) and coloured stones

in unconventional cuts (vivid cabochon-cut spinels) in the

Dolce Vita Colours necklace to understand.

There are plenty of cinematic references across the over

150-piece collection—from Cleopatra’s poncho necklace

and Pinocchio’s mother-of-pearl collar, to Captain Hook’s

Pirate Treasures collar necklace and Tinker Bell’s

Fairy Wings earrings—but the Action! necklace is perhaps

the most literal interpretation of the theme. Taking the form

of a celluloid film, it is crafted from black-silver zirconium, a

hyper-resistant metal the brand uses for the first time in high

jewellery. Besides ensuring that it sits comfortably around

the wearer’s neck, the necklace’s sinuous and flexible form

hides a surprise mechanism—the round film, when rotated,

reproduces the sound of old projectors.

While Bvlgari may be the jeweller to the stars, its jewels

are also divas in their own right, having starred in more

than 40 films, from The Visit with Ingrid Bergman to Casino

with Sharon Stone. The latter film’s most epic scene, where

Robert De Niro presented Stone with a trunk full of Bvlgari

jewels, is Silvestri’s favourite cinematic moment involving

the brand. Della Croce concurred: “The scene represents

the concept behind our jewels—it’s pure pleasure.” And just

like a film-maker, Bvlgari is a storyteller with a heart for

beautiful things.

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Clockwise from below: Inspired by the celluloid film, the

Action! necklace is crafted from black-silver zirconium, a first

in high jewellery; anchored by an octagonal step-cut emerald,

the Emerald Affair necklace is a modern interpretation of

a sapphire sautoir once owned by film icon Elizabeth Taylor;

the Cinemagia collection also includes playful pieces such

as the Pop Corn brooch

singapore tatler. october 2019 145