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The Italian jewelry house of Bulgari has an international celebrity clientele that has included Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, and Sharon Stone, as well as European royalty. Its jewelry from the 1980s incorporates colorful stones that one Bulgari designer described as a "harmony" resulting from a careful study of color combinations. Often favoring bold pairings from opposite ends of the color spectrum as a complement for fashions of the period, Bulgari’s aesthetic in the 80s aimed for "volume, striking colors, clean shapes, stylized decorative motifs and awareness of antiquity." This stunning necklace made in Italy with pearls, citrines, peridots, and pink and green tourmalines is an outstanding example of that style.
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Necklace
Bulgari (Italian, founded in 1884)
Italian
about 1986
Object Place: Italy
Medium/Technique
Gold (18k), pearl, tourmaline, citrine, peridot
Dimensions
Overall: 16.5 x 13 x 1 cm (6 1/2 x 5 1/8 x 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Bulgari
Accession Number2010.597
CollectionsEurope, Jewelry, Contemporary Art
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Necklaces and neck bands
The Italian jewelry house of Bulgari has an international celebrity clientele that has included Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, and Sharon Stone, as well as European royalty. Its jewelry from the 1980s incorporates colorful stones that one Bulgari designer described as a "harmony" resulting from a careful study of color combinations. Often favoring bold pairings from opposite ends of the color spectrum as a complement for fashions of the period, Bulgari’s aesthetic in the 80s aimed for "volume, striking colors, clean shapes, stylized decorative motifs and awareness of antiquity." This stunning necklace made in Italy with pearls, citrines, peridots, and pink and green tourmalines is an outstanding example of that style.
DescriptionThe necklace is designed as a wide, articulated band decorated with gold, wedge-shaped motifs set with 50 cultured pearls arranged in pairs alternating with oval, cabochon gemstones, including 7 citrines, 5 peridots, 11 pink tourmalines, and 2 green tourmalines. It was fabricated in the Crova, Valenze Po, Italy workshop.
Marks
BD/8621 (for Bulgari Danaos, America); impressed polygonal frame with "star2337AL750"; stamped BVLGARI
Provenance2010, Bulgari, Rome; 2010, gift of Bulgari to the MFA. (Accession date: September 22, 2010)