From Lorenzo Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers in the Piazza Navona to Francesco Borromini’s church of Sant’Agnese in Agone, the Eternal City is teeming with Baroque landmarks. The highly decorative flourishes and sense of movement so indicative of the period are not unlike the design signatures of another Roman icon, Bulgari, so it seems fitting that the famed jeweler would channel the style for its latest high jewelry collection, Barocko.
Utilizing plenty of the bold colors and gobstopper sized stones for which Bulgari is so well known, it was creative director Lucia Silvestri’s intention “to convey a sense of joy.” Divided into four categories: Meraviglia, Luce, and Colore, Silvestri channels Baroque motifs such as feathers into fan shapes and mines the ornate design of the city’s churches with a bold riff on a cross pendant.
Among the most complex pieces in the collection is the Rosso Caravaggio pendant, which took some 1,500 hours to complete and features a rare 10 carat cushion cut ruby at its center. This masterpiece can be reconfigured into two separate necklaces making it as versatile as it is extravagant.
