Steeped in the glamorous era of 1960s film stars, La Dolce Vita, open-top sports cars and smoke- wreathed dinners, Bulgari became the byword that encapsulated the fashion and innovation in Italy at the time.
With the realisation that film stars could provide the perfect setting for their stones, the jewellery house ensured the stars of the day were dressed in Bulgari, including Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren and Ingrid Bergman.
Bonhams is delighted to offer items by Bulgari, including one of the world’s rarest stones, a blue diamond, in the Fine Jewellery Sale at New Bond Street on September 21st.
The stunning diamond and blue diamond crossover ring is estimated to sell for £600,000 – 800,000. Belonging to a private European collector, the ring has never been seen at auction before. The collector’s father commissioned the ring as a gift for his wife in the mid 1960s, when Bulgari was at the height of fame.
Typical of Bulgari’s elegant simplicity, the ring offered by Bonhams is set obliquely with a pear-shaped diamond, weighing 3.93 carats, D colour, VS2 clarity, and a pear-shaped fancy vivid, natural blue diamond (the highest grading for a coloured diamond), weighing 3.72 and SI2 clarity.
The term “fancy” is used to describe a diamond of intense colour and the colour “fancy vivid blue” is one of the rarest. Blue diamonds are structurally the purest of all diamonds, with barely any impurities within their crystal lattice. They account for less than one percent of all diamonds mined.
Jean Ghika, Director of jewellery comments, “Not only is this jewel an exquisite example of Bulgari’s craftsmanship at this period but the fancy vivid blue diamond is an incredibly rare gem in its own right. Bonhams is honoured to have been chosen to handle the sale of this magnificent ring”.
An unusual enamel and diamond bracelet watch designed as a snake, by Bulgari circa 1965 is estimated to sell for £18,000 – 25,000. The tightly sprung coiled body is rendered in sky blue enamel scale, the eyes set with marquise- cut diamonds. The head opens to reveal a circular watch dial.
A Bulgari sapphire and diamond ring is estimated at £30,000 – 40,000. The step-cut sapphire weighs 13.48 carats between step-cut diamonds weighing 2 and 2.23 carats.