Bulgari transforms its colourful eclecticism into haute joaillerie
The maison of the Lvmh group chose Milan to present 'Eclettica', its high jewellery collection, which includes a record number of transformable creations, but also watches, accessories and a fragrance
A beautiful spring day made the events associated with Bulgari's new high jewellery collection, which this year was presented in Milan, even more special, between the boutique in Via Monte Napoleone, the nearby Villa Necchi, a Fai heritage site, and Villa Arconati, a few kilometres from the city centre, where a gala evening was held last Monday that reminded many of the Oscars, with the presence of Hollywood stars and the display of high fashion and, indeed, high jewellery.
Nothing has been left to chance, but the Milanese stop on the 'grand global tour' that Bulgari has been organising for many years for haute joaillerie and which in the past has touched down, for example, in Seoul and Shanghai, could be described as eclectic, the very name given to the new collection. An adjective that comes from the Greek eklégo, 'I choose', and which describes a person, work or method that combines different and often contrasting elements, styles or theories, harmonising them into a unified whole. A perfect definition for the jewellery and watches that paraded at Villa Arconati worn by models, as well as being exhibited in the magical Villa Necchi.
"Bulgari's commitment to haute joaillerie is growing and touches every aspect, from creativity to workshops, from the care of events to the choice of venues. Rather than change, we like to speak of evolution," explains Corinne Le Foll, who joined Bulgari a year ago as general manager of the jewellery and haute joaillerie division. In 2025, the Lvmh group maison had opted for Taormina, a very different scenario from Milan. "Bulgari's home is the world, even if our origins are in Rome, and in choosing the "stages" for the wonders of fine jewellery and watchmaking, we want to create experiences that are deeply linked to the places that host us, that are "culturally" immersive for everyone and first and foremost for clients and collectors who come from all over the world," adds Corinne Le Foll, who has a long experience in jewellery.
Returning to the collection and its name, Lucia Silvestri, the maison's creative director of jewellery and one of the world's foremost experts on gems and precious stones, explained in the preface to the book Eclettica, just published by Rizzoli, that it all stemmed from "the fluid and constantly evolving dialogue that the maison weaves with art" and that the collection represents the boldest manifestation of artsmanship, a concept coined by Bulgari itself to indicate the fusion of artistic intuition and visionary craftsmanship. Eclettica set a new record, with 15 of the total 150 creations (50 have a multi-million dollar value) defined as transformable, the highest number ever presented by Bulgari. At the heart of the collection are nine extraordinary creations grouped under the name of Masterpieces, expressing the pinnacle of ingenuity and creativity, original aesthetics and technical perfection.
"The language of Bulgari's artsmanship is truly universal: each piece of jewellery requires days and days of manual labour and can take hours to explain," adds Corinne Le Foll. "At the same time, when you see it in a display case or watch it being paraded, worn, in motion, the jewellery appeals directly to the heart and aesthetic sense of each of us and hardly needs words. The beauty of the stones, shapes and combinations speaks for itself and this is also why Bulgari customers and collectors really do come from all over the world and in recent years we have seen an increase in interest from men, who naturally deserve ad hoc creations, such as brooches". A vision sealed by the words of Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of the Bulgari group: "This collection represents us deeply, because eclecticism is part of our DNA. Rome itself is eclectic, a place where centuries of art coexist, feed off each other and ceaselessly generate new beauty. The Eclectic collection embodies this spirit: different worlds and artistic expressions converging in a single creative language, unmistakably Bulgari".
