Charm and femininity are the key words of the Medium High Diva Collection. Rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings made from white and pink gold play with a geometric pattern that is inspired by Elizabeth Taylor’s make-up in Cleopatra : a thick black line highlighting the outline of the actress’s unforgettable violet eyes, elongating them to the temples and ending in a triangular form. The make-up drew its inspiration from the iconography of the eye of the god Horus, a vital charm associated with prosperity and good health in Ancient Egyptian culture.
This motif conjures up the shape a fan, the famous accessory used to withstand heat, which has been pop¬ular in civilizations since ancient times. Fans were used in China as early as the 2nd Century BC, while in the palaces of Egypt, giant versions were used during lavish ceremonies.
They became more of an everyday object to the Greeks and Romans in the 5th century BC, and they spread throughout Europe as objects of art and nobility from the 1500s onwards. Fans were naturally intended for women who quickly started using them as a tool for seduction, perfect for conveying different coded messages.
With its exquisite combination of full and empty volumes, the sym¬bol that inspires this collection takes on the three-dimensional shape of a delicate chalice. The elegantly stylized petals blossom so sumptuously, adorning rings and pendants with lavish forms, interspersed with bright pavé diamonds. The pieces in white gold are covered entirely with pavé diamonds, and the delicate fans are transformed into elegant clusters with a vaguely Eastern allure. On the pendant necklaces, the single or double pattern punctuates the thin chain to produce a light, sophisticated final effect. In other pieces, the ethereal whiteness of the pearl serves as a counterpoint to the lustrous surface of the gold, recalling the unusual combination of materials that is typical of Bulgari.
In a surprising aesthetic metamorphosis, the collection takes on a touch of joyful vivacity in the pieces that are adorned with beads of amethyst, peridot or rubellite, providing the small central diamond with an unmistakable hint of light.
This playful shape given to the precious stones offers a modern reinterpretation of the renowned cabochon cut that has been used by Bulgari since the end of the 1950s, lending a specific sense of volume to their creations. Each of the cut stones is then carved in the centre in order to insert the diamond. This task that seems simple but, in reality, it requires high-levels of craftsmanship so as to best preserve the integrity of the gems. The small fans come in succession in an almost hypnotic rhythm that invites the eyes to follow the geometric transformations. Some are bigger and some are smaller, some are upside down and some are suspended in delicate colourful cascades.
Two rows of fans overlap to create the exquisite wrap-around bracelet that wraps softly around the wrist, a further mark of creative technique. Characteristic to all of the pieces is the perfect wearability that is typical of Bulgari jewellery, expressed here at its best with a balance of geometric and rounded shapes, and in the gracefulness of the elements which gently follow the movements of the body, adorning it with a style that is at once chic and casual.
