Fashion & Beauty
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Jennifer Lopez joins the long list of A-lister who’ve wrapped themselves in Bulgari Serpenti creations over the years.
Getty Images; Courtesy of Bulgari
Serpenti turns 75 this year, and the house is going all out celebrating the diamond anniversary of its enduring icon.
To commemorate the occasion, the Roman jeweler is adding four new pieces to its best-selling snake collection and has teamed with contemporary artists on a series of collaborations across the globe.
Called “Serpenti: 75 Years of Infinite Tales,” the exhibition will showcase exclusive new works spotlighting the snake as an endless source of creativity.
Hollywood stars are also celebrating the jubilee.
At this year’s Academy Awards, Angela Bassett, Cara Delevingne and Phoebe Waller-Bridge rocked three iterations of diamond-encrusted Serpenti necklaces, while Pedro Pascal paired Serpenti Viper rings in different metals with the brand’s B.zero1 band.
The timeless designs are just as entrancing today as they were in 1962.
That’s when Elizabeth Taylor posed for a picture on the set of “Cleopatra” while wearing a Serpenti bracelet-watch with an elaborate diamond head and enigmatic emerald eyes.
Such was the publicity from the photo that the sinuous piece gained international recognition (as did Taylor’s scandalous affair with her leading man, Richard Burton).
Two decades later, Italian film star Gina Lollobrigida mesmerized at a 1980 Gstaad gala in a sequined evening gown and Serpenti bracelet-watch.
Actress Marisa Berenson, meanwhile, casually teamed hers with a simple tank top and undone curls in 1981.
Since then, Charlize Theron, Naomi Watts, Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Anne Hathaway and other A-listers have stunned in the coiled necklaces.
The ability to shine at any occasion is part of Serpenti’s charm.
The versatile designs can be worn solo or stacked, frontwards or with the tail draping down the nape of the neck, and with everything from black tie to tie-dye.
Bulgari has interpreted the legendary motif on more than 100 items, including handbags, high jewelry, fine jewelry and timepieces.
The snake, in fact, has been an emblem of wisdom, renewal and vitality for millennia.
In ancient Greece, snake amulets and bracelets were associated with healing. In the 19th century, serpent-themed jewelry (like the engagement ring that Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria) signified everlasting love.
Bulgari introduced its first Serpenti jewelry watch in 1948.
Thanks to the ingenious “tubogas” technique — which produces flexible, rounded contours without soldering — the metal watchband spirals up the arm.
Later versions featured diamond-encrusted snake heads, ruby eyes, handcrafted sheet-gold scales and brightly colored enamel insets.
Always innovating, the company just unveiled three new textured Serpenti pieces — a necklace, ring and earrings — in flexible, beaded pink gold with diamonds and onyx. A bracelet will follow later this year.
In honor of the anniversary, Bulgari is staging more than 40 events and pop-ups around the world.
The brand commissioned Turkish-American artist and director Refik Anadol to create an immersive AI data sculpture named “Serpenti Metamorphosis.”
The roving installation (which has already been on display in Milan, London and Madrid) explores the facets of a snake.
Bulgari is also readying an exhibit and pop-up at 70 Gansevoort St. in NYC’s Meatpacking District.
Open from mid-June through mid-July, the show will feature work by Anadol, along with magnificent Serpenti jewels and heritage pieces.
Salute, Serpenti! Cheers to 75 years.
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