Bulgari’s latest high jewellery collection evokes natural and built landscapes

Bulgari returns to a source of inspiration that has formed the basis of its creations for decades with the launch of its latest high jewellery and high-end watch collection, Bulgari Eden the Garden of Wonders. It was unveiled in early June in a star-studded two-day event, which had Bulgari’s brand ambassadors Anne Hathaway, Priyanka Chopra and Blackpink’s Lisa in attendance, along with numerous VIP guests and celebrities like Vincent Cassel and Adele Exarchopoulos.

Held at the Italian embassy in Paris, and hosted by Bulgari Group CEO Jean-Christophe Babin and the Italian ambassador to France Teresa Castaldo, the event included a high jewellery presentation, and a four-hands dinner curated by chefs Yannick Alleno and Emanuele Scarello. A performance by singers Carla Bruni and Mario Biondi, and then a DJ set by songwriter, designer and style icon Mia Moretti kept guests enthralled and entertained. 

A manifestation of the house’s creativity and savoir-faire, the Eden the Garden of Wonders collection captures the magnificence of nature and expresses it through Bulgari’s mastery and aesthetic sense.

An ode to colour experimentation, the Flowers of Eden necklace employs Bulgari’s command of coloured gemstones to create a rich, dramatic statement. The asymmetrical piece bears the house’s signature chromatic pairings, in the form of tourmalines, carnelians, amethysts, emeralds, and leaves fashioned from mother-of-pearl.

Reflecting Bulgari’s interpretation of feminine grace, the Emerald Venus necklace features a delicate design, made intentionally irregular to resemble its inspiration, the capelvenere or maidenhair fern. The sumptuous piece shows emerald beads and diamonds converging toward a 20-ct Colombian octagonal-cut emerald.

The landscape, both natural and man-made, has inspired some of the collection’s finest pieces, recreated with extraordinary gems. The Mediterranean Reverie necklace and its intense 107.15-ct cushion-cut Sri Lankan sapphire capture the electric hue of the water in Capri’s Blue Grotto sea cave, while the Tribute to Paris necklace and its emerald Eiffel Tower motif pay homage to the bond between Rome and Paris, renowned for being art and culture capitals.

Out of 140 works of art that make up the collection, 30 are dedicated to the emerald — a first for Bulgari, and a tribute to the house’s longtime affinity with the gemstone. A remarkable example is the Emerald Glory necklace, a cascade of 220ct of diamonds punctuated by 11 pear-shaped Colombian emeralds, whose texture mimics the softness and intricacy of lace. The transformable masterpiece can be worn as a tiara and comprises a detachable choker.

A high-end watch collection mirrors the style and design codes of the Bulgari Eden the Garden of Wonders collection’s jewellery. Composed of five unparalleled watches that embody nature and its glory, the series brings together Italian flair and Swiss precision watchmaking.

The collection’s most precious high jewellery timepiece, the Giardino Dell’Eden Tourbillon watch took a whopping 4,400 hours to complete and is set with 6,500 stones — cabochon Paraiba tourmaline, emerald, garnet, pink tourmaline, opal, ruby, multicoloured sapphires and diamonds — totalling 223ct. It runs on a skeletonised tourbillon movement used in a high jewellery timepiece for the first time, which boasts a 64-hour power reserve. A transformable piece, the watch includes a portion that can be detached and worn as a brooch.