WILD STYLES

Andy Warhol and the exuberant ’80s provide the inspiration for Bvlgari’s colourful new high-jewellery collection

BOLD, BRIGHT AND larger than life, the 1980s were defined by the artists and other creators of the times. Think Andy Warhol, David Bowie, Jean Michel-Basquiat, Michael Jackson and, when it comes to jewellery, Nicola Bulgari.

The founder of the namesake Roman luxury brand lived in New York during the ‘80s, where he became friends with Warhol and began to make special pieces for private clients.

The brand itself also became associated with the over-the-top fashions favoured by Warhol and his ilk, especially with its gold-coin and chain-link necklaces and bestselling logo jewellery and watches.

Besides choosing Bvlgari pieces for celebrity photo shoots, Warhol also collected the Monete and Tubogas series and often spoke of his admiration for the brand.

This close association, along with a visit to the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts in New York, sparked creative director Lucia Silvestri’s idea for a new high-jewellery collection.

Wild Pop, as the collection is named, pays tribute to the groundbreaking glamour of the ‘80s while celebrating the innovation and expertise for which the brand has become synonymous. The designs celebrate colour, a hallmark of the maison, with kaleidoscopic hues centred around brilliant gemstones. Queen of Pop, for example, reinterprets an ‘80s jewellery silhouette in platinum with baguette diamonds, mint tourmalines and sapphires framing a stunning 24.80-carat sapphire.

Other pieces, including Supreme Diamond Light, are designed to evoke the Manhattan skyline with a graphic blend of black onyx and white diamonds.

Silvestri didn’t limit herself to Warhol and New York but also looked to movies, music and even the “big hair” that characterised the ‘80s. Iconic TV show Miami Vice provided inspiration for two necklaces and a timepiece, while Madonna and David Bowie’s music videos were the reference point for the Synthesizer and Pop Mics necklaces, bracelets and brooches.

Even lovable stoner character Jeff Spicoli from the cult 1982 flick Fast Times at Ridgemont High gets a shout-out in what are probably the first high-jewellery pieces devoted to cannabis.

At once disruptive and desirable, Wild Pop is a natural extension of founder Nicola Bulgari’s playful and cutting-edge vision for the brand. As Warhol once said, “When I’m in Rome I always visit Bvlgari because it is the most important museum of contemporary art.”