BULGARI'S COIN JEWELLERY

Bulgari presents a unique combination of fine watchmaking, high jewellery and rare currency in the limited-edition Monete high jewellery pendant watch. Priced at just over HK$3 million, it includes a silver tetradrachm featuring Alexander the Great, set in 18ct pink gold with rubies and 36.54ct of diamonds.

The flip side reveals an ancient silver coin, but the front blends antiquity with the modernity of a skeletonised watch movement Calibre BVL 208.

Rare ancient Greek and Roman coins, each with a distinct patina, are one of the icons of the Rome-based jeweller, enabling Bulgari to resort to unusual combinations of materials.When unique materials are mixed, works of art emerge as more than just a piece of adornment.

As Pablo Picasso said: “We all know that art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realise truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand.”

To read the complete article, see:
Jewellery designers push boundaries by mixing precious gemstones with unconventional materials (http://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/article/2145027/jewellery-designers-push-boundaries-mixing)

One of the most celebrated Bulgari icons ever, the pieces mounting antique coins have been introduced as a long-standing tradition in jewellery dating back to Ancient Rome. As an enthusiastic coin collector, Nicola Bulgari encouraged the Bulgari Monete jewels to make their debut in the ‘60s. In all the pieces the coin's structure remains unaltered and the mounts follow the contours highlighting the play of contrasts, the common denominator of these creations.
The premiere coin jewels made in 1966 were as elegant as they were modern, engraved with the name of the emperors, the dates they were in power and the type of coin. This educational element became a permanent part of the coin collections.

To viit the company web site, see:
Bulgari Icons (https://www.bulgari.com/en-gb/bulgari-heritage-icons)

The look of most patriotic fine jewels is straightforward—American flag brooches set with rubies, diamonds and sapphires. Bulgari took a far more imaginative approach to its love of the United States.

In 1972, a year after opening a New York boutique, the legendary Italian firm launched its first jewelry tribute to the USA. Stars and stripes from Old Glory were transformed on to hoop earrings, chain necklaces and pendants for neck wires. Diamonds lit up red and blue enamel or coral and lapis on the jewels. The Star Spangled Banner Collection caused a sensation when Richard Avedon photographed Cher for Vogue wearing several pieces with Eres bathing suits. The images showed how Bulgari was in sync with the laid back luxurious state of the nation.

Bulgari's other designs made in homage to America grew out of Nicola Bulgari's interest in numismatics. One of founder Sotirio Bulgari's grandsons, Nicola had been a enthusiastic collector of ancient Roman and Greek coins from childhood. In 1966, when he was just twenty-five years old, he came up with the idea for the wildly popular Monete gold and coin jewelry. Five years later, Nicola moved to New York to run the new boutique and American coins became his passion. The same way he appreciated the chronicle of events that ancient coins revealed, he enjoyed the narrative of the New World in American coins and medals. Nicola told The New York Times reporter Bernadine Morris in 1976, “I’m a coin collector myself but I never knew there were such interesting American ones before we started this project. You can learn a lot of history this way.” Nicola personally selected each of the American coins used in the special Monete jewels made during the 1970s.

One fascinating coin set in a Bulgari necklace made to celebrate the 1976 American Bicentennial was a 1776 pewter Continental Dollar. Designed by Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, it was the first coin minted when the thirteen colonies incorporated. The imagery on the front of the Continental Dollar includes a sun, sundial and the Latin motto “Fugio.” Together the elements are believed to mean: mind your business, because time flees.

One Bulgari necklace created in the 1970s features a gold medal Hamilton fans are sure to love. It depicts General Lafayette in profile on the front. “The defender of American and French Liberty” is on the back. The medal was issued to commemorate Lafayette's return to America in 1824. Bulgari mounted the medal on a chain necklace within a setting of rubies, diamonds and sapphires. The Latin word for liberty is emblazoned along the bottom of the pendant. An eagle and fleur-de-lis accent the sides.

To read the complete article, see:
Italians Made the Best Patriotic Jewels (https://theadventurine.com/culture/jewelry-history/italians-made-the-best-patriotic-american-jewels/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
2018 ANS GALA DINNER (http://www.coinbooks.org/v21/esylum_v21n04a07.html)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web