BULGARI
In 1884, the young Greek silversmith Soltirios Boulgaris opened his first shop in Rome, Italianising his name to Sortirio Bulgari, synonymous with the internationally renowned luxury brand the world has come to know so well.

In the early years. Bulgari was mainly known for selling silverware, both their own and antique. As success grew, other stores were opened and stock grew to eventually include a range of jewellery and curios.

Sortorio died in 1932, leaving the business to Constantino and Giorgio, two of his sons who had already shown a keen interest in the business but not before concentrating his attention on one single location: 10 via Condotti, where the business still resides. The focus of the business was now almost solely concentrated on jewellery design and production. Travelling to Paris, the jewellery epicentre of the early 20th century, Giorgio would bring back styles and techniques, which the firm perfected by employing highly skilled master craftsmen. Collaborations as such proved to be highly successful, some lasting as long as 40 years.

After Sortirio died, Constantino and Giorgio proceeded to undertake a major store refurbishment, resulting in a spectacular marble frontage with the name BVLGARI, marking the change from the letter U to the Romanised V, the first use of the company name as we know it today. As is often the case with a family business, each brother easily settled down into their different roles, one very much the driving force of the business, the other more academic and focussed on building the firm’s personal collection of snuff boxes, jade carvings and antique silver.

Jewellery styles of the 20s and 30s was still largely platinum and diamond dominated and influenced by French design. The 40s and 50s saw the introduction of yellow gold alongside precious colour gemstones such as ruby, sapphire and emerald. It wasn’t until the 60s and 70s that firm regularly started using cabochon cut semi-precious gemstones alongside diamonds and precious gemstone, resulting in what we now know to be the “Bulgari style”. It was also the period that saw the introduction of a range of jewellery set with ancient coins, a style that would prove universally popular, quickly becoming synonymous with the brand.

With Giorgio’s death in 1966 and Constantino’s in 1973, management passed to Giorgio’s sons Gianni, Paolo and Nicola and two of Constantino’s daughters, Anne and Marina. Under their direction, the company entered a period of modernisation and overseas expansion, opening stores in New York, Geneva and Paris. Enviable client lists had cemented their reputation as the Italian jewellers par excellence on an international level.

By the mid-80s, management had changed yet again, diversifying the brand into accessories, perfume and hotels, thereby transforming Bulgari into one of the largest luxury brands in the world today and, since 2011, part of the LVMH Group.

In 2014, Bulgari celebrated its 130th anniversary.