- When did the work on the Festa collection start?
- We received the marketing brief in June 2016, that is, exactly one year before the collection was presented in Venice. One year to create such a collection is normal in terms of design, but not precious stones - I started buying stones in advance, two or three years in advance, especially rare and large ones.
Lucia Silvestri © Bulgari Press Service
- That is, some of the stones were not purchased for a specific sketch or even for the collection as a whole?
- Yes, that's right, I always do this, because the process of buying stones is very long. For example, there is in our collection a piece with a 53.57 carat round Colombian emerald. I bought it three years ago, and it was not round - it was oval, but I did not like the cut, and I asked him to re-cut it. Initially, it weighed 57 carats - it is clear that when you lose carats at this weight, you lose a lot in value, but it was worth it - the re-cutting made the stone perfectly round, and the color brighter and more intense, now it is the most beautiful emerald in the world, at least at least for my taste. The purchase and re-cutting process lasted a very long time, we only agreed on a price for five to six months!
Another rare stone that I purchased in advance is a 2 carat blue diamond, which I bought because it is very pure for colored diamonds - its IF clarity (internally flawless) - and yet it has a great color.
© Bulgari Press Service
- What is your favorite piece of jewelry in the collection?
- Necklace with balloons, because it reminds of childhood, as well as jewelry in the form of ice cream and a train necklace. By the way, the idea for this necklace was completely mine, and when I came to the design team with it, they thought I was crazy (laughs). But I explained the idea in more detail, said that we can combine our classic tubogas with something unexpected. The result is great!
- What is your favorite holiday?
- Palio horse racing, leading its history from the Middle Ages, because it is a very unusual, even unique action, there is no such thing anywhere in the world.
© Bulgari Press Service
- As far as I know, the Il Palio di Siena necklace with the coats of arms of competing riders was incredibly difficult to create due to the coordination of the appearance of these coats of arms with the authorities of Siena?
- Oh, it was a nightmare! They wanted the colors of the coats of arms in the necklace to perfectly match the colors on the original coats of arms, but we do not work with paints, but with natural stone! But everything worked out in the end.
- What stones are the hardest to find now?
- Rubies! They are very expensive, and prices for stones over 5 carats are simply crazy, especially for Burmese rubies, and the lifting of the embargo on Burmese rubies has not changed anything in this pricing! We are trying to find a way out of the situation, we buy stones from other regions, for example Mozambique, - prices for them are a little more reasonable. Such rubies, for example, in the Cuore di Roma jewelry from the Festa collection.
Jewelry from the Festa collection © Bulgari Press Service
- How much inspiration did you get from the archives?
- Signor Bulgari always says that one should look at the archives from the standpoint of the present. I find a lot of interesting things in archives and rework all the ideas so that the jewelry is lighter and more wearable. Festa is such a joyful theme in general that we had a lot of fun working on it and it should be just as easy to wear.
- How do you think it is correct to wear these jewelry?
- For me, they are all works of art that you can wear on yourself. But this does not at all imply that they should be worn on special occasions, to some kind of black tie dress code. Not only! They will be appropriate for a cocktail and in general during the day. For example, a necklace can be worn with jeans and a shirt, it looks just amazing.
I wear such jewelry since the morning - they make me happy!>
