Before the dawn of the Baroque period in jewelry, all pieces saw a dominance of enamel. This wonderful period in jewelry opened the realms of masterfully cutting and highlighting gemstones making fine jewelry look nothing less than a masterpiece. The Roman jeweler Bulgari is now paying an ode to this period; taking their own spectacular city as inspiration, to curate a line of breathtaking jewels where a recurrent aspect is the excellent choice of majestic gemstones cut and set in a tastefully designed geometric collection that surpasses all levels of beauty. It’s a tradition of sorts for Bulgari to give the world some very breathtaking pieces of jewelry every year and this year was no different. Bulgari makes a dazzling mark in 2020 as it releases its new high-jewelry collection under the name of Barocko. The collection taps into unexplored aspects Baroque motifs, 16th-century decor, and the ever-evolving elements of nature and creates magnificence using the rarest of gemstones. It is safe to say that this is by far one of the most extensive yet exclusive high-jewelry collections to be released with 50 fantastic pieces each inspired from yet another beautiful part of Rome. It’s difficult to select one stand-out piece from the Barocko collection as each is more desirable and detailed than the next. We do however already have our pick of favorite sub-collections. The pieces in the “Colore” line explore the dramatic depths of color by extensively using fancy shapes in vivid hues; the Meraviglia line highlights eternal favorites like rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds in pieces inspired by drapery, lace and seductive arabesques. The Luce setting meaning light includes unique pieces that use stones to their optimal setting style in order to let as much light shimmer as possible.
There are a few pieces from each sub-collection that certainly stand out like the very desirable “Raggio di Luce” ring from the Luce line that holds a kite-shaped yellow diamond as its splendid center. Another highlight is the “Lady Arabesque” that is perhaps the most baroque in the style of all of the pieces with pink, purple, and violet gems set contrasting the shades of green and gold. The ‘Rosso Caravaggio’ necklace stands out with a single 10-carat cushion-cut Mozambique ruby as the center stone and is part of the Meraviglia line. It’s stunning for not just the way it looks (it took 1,500 hours to complete) but also because it is designed to come apart for two necklaces. We would also like to specifically mention use a very pleasant and unique setting called “en Tremblant” settings that allow pieces to actually move or sway with the wearer’s movement. Bulgari is a house that has always dished out mouth-watering jewels in the grandest ways but with the Baraocko collection, the designs will be unveiled through the Barocko app that showcases the jewels in an immersive Bulgari experience. The app is for the brand’s finest clients and offers 360-degree images and a “try on” feature.
