To protect the company's stunning jewelry masterpieces, many of which are old, more than twenty security officers have been hired. The company presented not just an immeasurable heritage of rare and precious products, but also an equally valuable collection of memories, which are the heart of this retrospective.
Mosaic of time
The journey into the world of the Jewelry House began with a lecture by the jewelry historian of the Gemological Association of Great Britain Amanda Triossi. She shared her love for the milestones of the history of an amazing style that has stood the test of time and went beyond the standards. A style known for its inexhaustible search for new creative solutions that made Bvlgari one of the most famous luxury brands in the world.
Before the eyes of the visitors of the exhibition, a collection of silver products created at the end of the 19th century by Sotirio Bulgari, art-deco jewelry, the design of which brought world fame to the sons of Sotirio: Giorgio and Konstantino in the 20s and 30s of the 20th century, flashed on the demonstration screen.
Amanda spoke about the period of the influence of the French jewelry school on the Bvlgari jewelry design style, which the craftsmen were able to successfully overcome: in the 60s, the brand's light forms, clear lines, special ornaments, and a bright palette were first used. Unique Parentesi collections have appeared, the design of which is inspired by the pattern of Roman bridges, Tubogas, Spiga and Trika, interpreting ancient Greek and Roman patterns in precious metals. By the way, Parentesi opened the era of jewelry, the headsets of which allowed to combine products depending on the case. The combination of "antiquity" and well-conceived commercial history made Parentesi a cult line in the USA and, thus, seriously promoted Bvlgari's market position.
In the 70s, the company opened its first brand store in New York, and after a short period of time boutiques appeared in Paris, Geneva and Monte Carlo. They became the basis for the subsequent creation of a network of 140 Bvlgari stores worldwide, two of which are located in Moscow today. Then the company first tried its hand at a new field for itself, creating in 1977 the first collection of Bvlgari-Bvlgari watches. Although Bvlgari had been producing their own watches since the 1940s, they only started talking about them after the appearance of this collection in the form of round “pucks” with a giant Bvlgari inscription on the bezel circumference.
In the early 80s, the Italian company seriously announced its intentions to conquer the watch market by opening its own Bvlgari Time watch production in the Swiss city of Neuchatel, the center of the country's watch industry, where the most famous brands are located.
After some time, the Cadrans Design dials and Prestge D'Or bracelets were added to Bvlgari's watch assets, which allowed the company to create its own full production cycle and fully control the entire process of creating watches. And the acquisition in 2000 of such well-known haute horlogerie brands as Gerald Genta and Daniel Roth turned the company into one of the most influential watch concerns, which owns its own pavilion at the international watch exhibition in Basel.
BVLGARI
In 1984, representatives of the third generation of the family took the helm of the company: Paolo Bulgari became president, and Nikola Bulgari became vice president. The brothers appointed their nephew, the experienced manager Francesco Trapani, as executive director. After that, Bvlgari supplemented the scope of its activities with perfumes and accessories.
In 1998, the company signed an agreement with Rosenthal on the joint production of tableware and gift souvenirs. And at the beginning of the third millennium, the Ritz-Carlton hotel chain, together with which the Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts chain was organized, fell into the area of interest of the company, in addition to the already mentioned high clock mechanics.
In this regard, Bvlgari keeps up with the times, repeating the path of many luxury homes that seek to cover the whole world with their logos. True, unlike many brands, almost without looking giving their name to licensed production, Francesco Trapani carefully selects each new project, making sure that the name Bvlgari does not fall below the bar of "necessary luxury". Jewelry production remains a priority for the Italian House, it continues to develop and look for new styles ...
The unique Bvlgari pavilion, combining the traditions of historical heritage and the concept of modern art, invited eminent guests of the exhibition to get acquainted with jewelry and communicate with company representatives in an informal setting of the stylish lounge area B Lounge, to the sound of live music performed by the local band Bull Funk Zoo and the sets of the popular DJ Kennedy.
The original design of the pavilion, attracting attention from the first minutes with its "space" lines, was brought to life by a talented team of architects NaNA (Not a Number Architects). Talented architects Hermes Adamant, educated in Greece, and Dominiki Dadatsi, master of the School of the Architectural Association in London, have created an architectural bureau of creative minds with successful experience in creating art installations in different cultural and geographical environments.
NaNA works in an unusual style of merging the spatial interaction of the motives of the Universe with the historical creative heritage. Bvlgari masters find inspiration in creating jewelry masterpieces along the way.
The exhibition of contemporary art in Abu Dhabi is a great occasion to get acquainted not only with the works of contemporary artists and sculptors, but also with impressive pieces of jewelry art created to convey the feeling of perfect, unforgettable, eternal beauty. These pieces of jewelry craftsmanship are a fusion of the traditions of the past and the innovations of contemporary art, so they are always relevant and infinitely elegant.
