SINGAPORE – For one weekend in March, Bulgari brought millions of dollars in exquisite high jewellery creations to Singapore.

On March 1, the luxury Italian jeweller hosted an intimate trunk show and dinner for invited clients and members of the press at The Singapore Edition hotel.

A total of 154 pieces of high jewellery and high-end watches were presented, comprising a curated selection of Bulgari’s timeless classics as well as new additions.

It was not just the jewels that sparkled. Stars in attendance included local celebrities Joanne Peh, Qi Yuwu and Fiona Xie, alongside personalities such as singer-model Iman Fandi and actor Tyler Ten – all dressed to the nines.

Of the 110 pieces of high jewellery on display, dramatic, weighty chokers stole the show, spotlighting the jeweller’s penchant for playing with colour and pairing coloured gemstones with diamonds.

The Straits Times rounds up some of the trunk show’s highlights.

Emerald Venus necklace

This show-stopping piece ($6,684,000) is an ode to Venus, the Roman goddess of beauty. It takes inspiration from the delicate leaves of a luxuriant Mediterranean plant called Capelvenere, Italian for “Venus’ hair”.

Likewise, each branch of diamonds and emerald beads cascades over the neck with grace. It is a masterpiece of movement and balance, made up of tiny diamond-set leaves (totalling 71.24 carats) and 62 emerald beads (totalling 130.77 carats).

The full necklace took 1,600 hours to complete, and is finished with a centrepiece Colombian octagonal emerald weighing 19.30 carats.

Ruby Metamorphosis necklace

Perhaps this necklace can justify its eye-watering $11,617,000 price tag by the fact that it can be worn nine ways.

Wear it as a choker in various lengths or remove the pendant to wear alone as a brooch – a slick way for couples to twin discreetly.

Made in platinum, the necklace is set with 18 oval diamonds, 87 rectangular-, trapezoidal- and fancy-shape diamonds, 96 round rubies, 345 buff-top rubies, and 97 round brilliant-cut diamonds and pave-set diamonds – all orbiting around a spectacular 10.02-carat antique cushion-cut Mozambique ruby. It took around 2,500 hours to complete.

Necklace in pink gold

This gorgeous choker ($875,000) is where Bulgari’s playfulness with colour shines.

Set with chrysoprase elements, diamonds and five cushion-cut gems totalling nearly 80 carats (a 22.85-carat rubellite, 21.69-carat topaz, 19.56-carat green tourmaline, 18.31-carat orange beryl and 17.06-carat amethyst), it is part of Bulgari’s Colors of Eden series, drawing inspiration from the Garden of Eden.

Special care was taken to source and select each gemstone to achieve harmony in their placement alongside one another without looking imbalanced on the collarbone. Wave-like chrysoprase inserts layered over in pink gold and diamonds neatly complete this play on volume and cuts.

Ring in platinum set with emerald and diamonds

Bulgari is known for more than brilliant necklaces. The jeweller makes a mean cocktail ring too – such as this $2,069,000 conversation piece featuring a 6.53-carat octagonal emerald and 38 fancy-shape diamonds and pave-set diamonds.

Serpenti necklace and bracelet in pink gold

No Bulgari jewellery collection is complete without the Serpenti.

The unmistakable snake gets a brilliant pink gold treatment in this necklace ($987,000) set with fancy-shape diamonds and emeralds, anchored by a 2.72-carat pear-shape emerald atop the serpent’s head.

Peer closely and you will see that the entire necklace is made up of tiny ball bearings that move fluidly in tandem with the body, so the piece rests easily on skin.

Prefer your Serpenti as arm candy? The snake coils dramatically in this matching Serpenti bracelet ($1,321,000) in pink gold, also set with diamonds, emeralds and a 3.03-carat pear-shape emerald.

Serpenti Misteriosi Cleopatra watch

Whether it is worn as a bracelet or watch, this magnificent cuff ($1,429,000) is a work of art – and was given an international stamp of approval when it won the prestigious Jewellery award at the 2023 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve – the Oscars of the watch-making world.

Nine vivid gemstones (including topaz, rubellites, tanzanites and amethysts) and snow-set diamonds collide in this one-of-a-kind piece, reminiscent of the cuff bracelets worn by the rulers of ancient Egypt, including Cleopatra herself.

Part of a new chapter in Bulgari’s Colour Treasures series, the jewellery-watch hides a diamond-set dial behind a faceted, hexagonal transparent topaz of more than five carats.
If the hexagonal pattern seems familiar, it is because it emulates a snake’s scales – an abstract take on the brand’s famous serpent.