Last week, and for the very first time, Moscow welcomed a Bulgari exhibition in the Russian capital entitled “Tribute to Femininity”. While celebrating this sparkling event with the Roman house, Azyaamode had the opportunity to meet Bulgari’s Creative Director Lucia Silvestri. To be honest, we can never get enough of her passion for gemstones – which we discovered while she was in Dubai for the launch of the “Festa” high jewelry collection. However, this time was all about Bulgari’s history.

As we discovered the jewelry pieces on display, we got the chance to dive more into the house’s values and creative assets.

1 – What is your main source of inspiration when creating jewelry?

Bulgari’s archive is my main source, but we always make sure to present new ideas.

2 – Can we say that Bulgari has already worked with every single kind of gemstone that exists on the market today and what is challenging when it comes to the creation of new pieces?

I think we have used all the stones that we can possibly work with. My challenge is to find new stones to use in our new designs and this is not easy at all nowadays. If I find a stone, I have to make sure that it is usable, valuable and beautiful color-wise. We also have to make sure that it is available in quantities, not only to be used in one, two or three pieces of jewelry. In other words, it has to be rare but not so rare that we can’t do anything with it. I remember when we started to use Mandarin garnets, nobody knew about them but now, they have become popular and everybody wants to use them. 

3 – How many stones do you think Bulgari has discovered over the years?

I don’t think Bulgari discovered the stones but rather discovered the way they can be used. Nobody other than Bulgari knew how to do it. For example, stones like Mandarin garnet or tanzanite are ones that everybody knows about, but the way Bulgari uses them and combines them with other gems is what makes them so unique.

4 – Between diamonds and rubies, what is your favorite?

Diamonds are a girl’s best friends but since I love colors, I would definitely choose rubies.

5 – What is your favorite stone from the newly discovered ones?

Spinel is my favorite; it looks like a ruby and it is amazing. It is small but the quality is one-of-a-kind. Nobody knows its value because it’s impossible to find a similar one.

6 – How do you find new gems?

I hunt gems everywhere; I discover and travel a lot. And with our connections, we can create something different because we can work directly with the cutters and the owners of mines.

7 – Can you order a specific cut for you as well?

It’s difficult to tell them to cut the stone the way we want because they want to keep its weight. I can give them some suggestions and now, they trust me so they call me to come and see. We work together and for me this is part of a new experience, that I love so much.

8 – Between commercial pieces and high jewelry pieces, what sells more in Bulgari’s world?

The quality and the creativity. When we talk about commercial pieces in general, we would like to have quality and creativity even if it’s in a small piece.

9 – What stone do you think Middle Eastern women are attracted to the most besides diamonds? Do you think they are more flexible about buying them nowadays?

They definitely love diamonds and they are more flexible, especially with Bulgari. They also love topaz and malachite for instance. So, hot stones are really covetable in this market.

10 – Are you working on a new line?

I am starting to work on a new high jewelry collection.