Bulgari looks back on 125 years of jewelry history
The Bulgari Korea staff received a desperate phone call from the headquarters office a few days before the Cannes International Film Festival: French actress Julliette Binoche was looking for a special platinum diamond necklace made by Bulgari in 1930.
The staff immediately sent the necklace, which had just arrived in Korea for the exhibition “Between History and Eternity: 1884-2009.”
The Cannes-winning French actress elegantly walked on the Cannes’ red carpet showing off the glamorous necklace with 131 diamonds, 137 karats in total, and returned it to Bulgari after the event.
That necklace and 66 more precious jewelries made by Bvlgari between 1884 and 2009 are on display at Hotel Shilla in Jangchung-dong, central Seoul. A bigger version of the exhibition, featuring some 500 pieces, was held in Rome and Australia last year to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the jewelry house. This is the first time the exhibition has come to Asia.
“It would be meaningless to try to value the price of the collection because they are not for sale. Bulgari kept some from the start and repurchased some at a much higher price to keep them in the archive. All pieces are literally one-of-a-kind,” said Bae Jee-in, Bulgari’s PR official.
Along with the stories behind the original owners of the pieces on display, the exhibition offers a brief look back on how jewelry has changed over more than a century.
The exhibition starts with silver ornaments made by Georgis Bulgari, father of Bulgari founder Sortirio Bvlgari, in the 1880s. Silver is still known to be too soft for delicate details but Bulgari’s silver buckles with shell-like details are very exquisite.
From the 1910s to the 1930s, the trend was all about “French style,” with extremely delicate diamond settings in platinum. From then pieces of jewelry became more colorful and bold, getting closer to the familiar Italian Bulgari style and reach the peak in 1950s to 1960s.
One dazzling necklace decorated with 25 sapphires totaling 48 karats, 88 rubeis totaling 75 karats, 71 emeralds totaling 48 karats and 348 brilliant cut diamonds is simply breathtaking. The necklace, made in 1967, put actress Keira Knightly in the limelight at the 2006 Academy Awards.
Another must-see piece is the emerald platinum necklace made in 1961 which is estimated to be worth at least 20 billion won ($16.5 million), the most expensive in the exhibited collection. It is composed of 224 diamonds and seven cushion-shape emeralds which are of 118.46 karats in total.
The exhibition runs through June 15 at Hotel Shilla in Jangchung-dong, central Seoul. For more information, call (02) 2056-0100.
By Park Min-young (claire@heraldm.com)
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| Keira Knightly wears a dazzling Bulgari necklace decorated with sapphires, rubies, emeralds and diamonds at the 2006 Academy Awards. Bvlgari |
The Cannes-winning French actress elegantly walked on the Cannes’ red carpet showing off the glamorous necklace with 131 diamonds, 137 karats in total, and returned it to Bulgari after the event.
That necklace and 66 more precious jewelries made by Bvlgari between 1884 and 2009 are on display at Hotel Shilla in Jangchung-dong, central Seoul. A bigger version of the exhibition, featuring some 500 pieces, was held in Rome and Australia last year to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the jewelry house. This is the first time the exhibition has come to Asia.
“It would be meaningless to try to value the price of the collection because they are not for sale. Bulgari kept some from the start and repurchased some at a much higher price to keep them in the archive. All pieces are literally one-of-a-kind,” said Bae Jee-in, Bulgari’s PR official.
Along with the stories behind the original owners of the pieces on display, the exhibition offers a brief look back on how jewelry has changed over more than a century.
The exhibition starts with silver ornaments made by Georgis Bulgari, father of Bulgari founder Sortirio Bvlgari, in the 1880s. Silver is still known to be too soft for delicate details but Bulgari’s silver buckles with shell-like details are very exquisite.
From the 1910s to the 1930s, the trend was all about “French style,” with extremely delicate diamond settings in platinum. From then pieces of jewelry became more colorful and bold, getting closer to the familiar Italian Bulgari style and reach the peak in 1950s to 1960s.
 |
| Bulgari’s emerald platinum necklace made in 1961, estimated to be worth at least 20 billion won. Bvlgari |
One dazzling necklace decorated with 25 sapphires totaling 48 karats, 88 rubeis totaling 75 karats, 71 emeralds totaling 48 karats and 348 brilliant cut diamonds is simply breathtaking. The necklace, made in 1967, put actress Keira Knightly in the limelight at the 2006 Academy Awards.
Another must-see piece is the emerald platinum necklace made in 1961 which is estimated to be worth at least 20 billion won ($16.5 million), the most expensive in the exhibited collection. It is composed of 224 diamonds and seven cushion-shape emeralds which are of 118.46 karats in total.
The exhibition runs through June 15 at Hotel Shilla in Jangchung-dong, central Seoul. For more information, call (02) 2056-0100.
By Park Min-young (claire@heraldm.com)
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답글삭제불가리 125주년 회고전 Bulgari looks back on 125 years of jewelry history The Bulgari Korea staff received a desperate phone call from the headquarters offic..