History

Sotirios Voulgaris — a Greek silversmith from Kalarites in the Epirus region — emigrated to Rome in the 1880s and in 1884 founded the house that bears his name, written in classical Latin letters as BVLGARI. Beginning as a silversmith and dealer in antique silver, Voulgaris built a clientele among Rome's aristocracy. His sons Giorgio and Costantino took over after his death in 1932, developing the house's distinctive Italian aesthetic rooted in the vivid colours and bold forms of ancient Rome.

The Roman Aesthetic

Where Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels defined the French school of jewellery — delicate, classical, diamond-centric — Bvlgari pioneered something altogether more audacious: a Roman aesthetic built on bold yellow gold, vibrant cabochon gemstones chosen for colour rather than the more conservative French preference for white diamonds, and architectural forms drawn from ancient coins, mosaics and mythology. Andy Warhol famously declared that visiting Bvlgari's shop was like visiting the best exhibition of contemporary art.

The Serpenti

In 1948, Bvlgari introduced the Serpenti — a bracelet-watch combining goldsmithing, gem-setting and watchmaking. The serpent's body, fashioned using the ancient Tubogas technique (flat metal strips interwoven without soldering to create a flexible tube), wrapped around the wrist while the snake's head concealed the watch dial. The collection entered global consciousness in 1962 when Elizabeth Taylor purchased a Serpenti watch on the Cinecittà set of Cleopatra — an apt choice given the role. The Serpenti remains Bvlgari's most iconic collection, continuously reinvented for over 75 years.

Collections

Beyond Serpenti, Bvlgari's defining collections include B.zero1 (a bold spiral ring inspired by the Colosseum, introduced 1999), Divas' Dream (inspired by the mosaic floors of the Caracalla Baths), and the BVLGARI BVLGARI line — featuring the house's name engraved on the bezel in the Roman tradition of inscribed coins. High Jewellery and watch collections are produced at Bvlgari's Swiss manufacture in Neuchâtel. In 2011, Bvlgari became part of LVMH.

Prices

Bvlgari's entry collections — sterling silver BVLGARI BVLGARI pieces — begin around $500. B.zero1 rings in gold start from approximately $2,000. Serpenti jewellery ranges from around $5,000 for gold rings to well over $100,000 for high-jewellery pieces set with exceptional coloured gemstones. The Serpenti Seduttori high jewellery necklaces can reach $1,000,000 and beyond.