The Bulgari Serpenti: In between the classic and the contemporary
THERE is a saying that every piece of jewelry tells a story. In the case of Oscar-winning 1963 film Cleopatra, it’s about how a sinuous snake slithered into global notoriety. It started when Elizabeth Taylor was photographed in Rome with a striking Bulgari bracelet featuring a serpent with a diamond-pavé head, hand-crafted gold and enamel scales, and a brilliant set of emerald eyes.
Who gave it to her was part of its mystery, but one thing was certain: with Taylor’s portrayal of the powerful Egyptian queen, the effect of the serpent on the silver screen (and ultimately, on the catwalk) was nothing short of iconic.
Seven decades on, the emblem remains in the maison’s catalog, only this time the Roman heritage house shines a new light on the Serpenti line in “Multifaceted, Magnificent, Maximized,” a collection featuring modern interpretations of cult classics such as the Tubogas designed for the Fall/winter 2020 season.
Designed in the aftermath of the second world war, the Tubogas was assembled entirely without soldering to emulate shapely lines, and to create a flexible litheness designed to coil around the wrist in dramatical spirals.
The Tubogas also constituted the very first range of Serpenti timepieces created in the 1940s and 1950s, wherein the watch’s movement was concealed in a snake’s head with the dial under a hinged cover. The precious iterations to follow featured scales of gemstones or polychrome enamel.
After that was the Serpenti Seduttori, first showcased in a series of rigid bangle watches. The coiled body, however, was no
more, and a reimagined hexagonal pattern mimicking the scales of the reptile was introduced.
In the new collection, available are Serpenti Tubogas watches encased in stainless steel case, 18 karat rose gold bezel set and bracelets, as well as Sedutorri watches with brilliant cut diamonds and diamond indexes, white mother-of-pearl dial and even spiral bracelets in karung leather.
In a tribute to its spirit animal, Bulgari captures the power of seduction in its line of Viper rings and bracelets, camouflaging sensuality in a hypnotic design featuring scaled metals that wrap around the finger and the wrist, while rubellite and emerald eyes define the ophidian’s eyes in the earrings line.
For ladies, there are 18-karat gold bands that come with precious stones. Those looking for more wearability can opt for the understated gold and diamond-pavéd combination.
Those with some serious cash to burn, on the other hand, can feast their eyes on the Serpenti Viper bracelet and necklace both in 18-karat white gold, set with full pavé diamonds and with a price tag worth approximately four to six million pesos.
Richard Burton, who played Mark Anthony alongside Taylor’s eponymous role in the analogepic era and was rumored to have given Taylor the infamous bracelet, would often say: “The only word Elizabeth knows in Italian is Bulgari.”
Well, who would blame her? Bvlgari can be found at The Shoppes in Solaire Resort and Casino.
More information is available at www.bulgari.com.