On February 9, 2013, legendary Roman jeweler, Bulgari will open a special exhibition and retrospective in its Fifth Avenue flagship boutique dedicated to one of the most emblematic icons of its timeless style: Serpenti. The opening coincides with the eve of the Chinese New Year – the year of the snake.

Bulgari’s Fifth Avenue flagship boutique

The Bulgari : Serpenti Collection will present an extraordinary range of snake bracelets, belts, watches and rings made by the legendary Italian jewelry over the last seventy years. The state of the arts display designed by Fabien Iliou will include light panels with images of the legendary women of style—Elizabeth Taylor, Marisa Berenson, Veruschka, Benedetta Barzini among others—wearing Bulgari snake jewels over the years.

Highlights in the jewelry presentation curated by Marion Fasel include exceptional enamel, gold and gem-set watch bracelets made during the 1960s, a one-of-a-kind diamond, emerald and gold snake bracelet from the mid-century era as well as an extraordinary emerald, diamond and gold snake bracelet designed in 1970. A full range of the tubogas snake watch-bracelets made from the 1940s to the 1980s will reveal how watches have consistently been a part of the Bulgari snake collections. Historical material on display from the archives in Rome will include original drawings, works of art and classic advertising campaigns. Special guided tours will be offered.

From Left to Right: Serpenti bracelet-watch in yellow gold and polychrome enamel. The scales are decorated with white, black, green and turquoise enamel, the head is with pear-shaped emerald eyes concealing a circular dial, ca 1965 - Serpenti bracelet in yellow gold decorated with jades, rubies and diamonds, ca 1968 - Serpenti jeweller y watch pink gold double coil bracelet set with 385 brilliant cut diamonds (4,12 ct) and black sapphire dial set with 33 diamonds.

“This exhibition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people to join Bulgari in celebrating its commitment to luxury, excellence and superior craftsmanship through the commemoration of the iconic Serpenti”, states Alberto Festa, N.A President of Bulgari.

To commemorate the exhibition and celebrate the iconic brand, a book on the history of the Bulgari snake jewelry, Bulgari: Serpenti Collection, written by Marion Fasel and published by Assouline will debut and be available in wide release in March 2013.

The Serpenti exhibition will be open to the public from Sunday, February 10th through Thursday February 28th and then travel to select U.S. markets.

About the Curator

Marion Fasel is an acclaimed jewelry historian. Hollywood Jewels and Bejeweled: Great Designers, Celebrity Style are among the five books she co-authored with Penny Proddow. Fasel has been a contributing editor at InStyle since launching the magazine’s award-winning coverage of fine jewelry and watches in 1996.

About the Designer

Fabien Illou is a French artist and designer. Since 2008, he has been in charge of Bulgari exhibitions in Europe including the critically acclaimed 2010 retrospective at the Grand Palais in Paris Bulgari : 125 Years of Italian Magnificence. He conceived the larger-than-life LED Serpenti lights that enveloped the Bulgari flagship in New York during the holiday season.

Source: Bulgari