Socialite and Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco board president Dede Wilsey says she’s had a love affair with Bvlgari jewelry nearly all her life. As a child she and her family lived in Europe and they spent summers in Rome. Her father liked to pop into the Bvlgari store (located on Via Condotti just at the bottom of the Spanish Steps) and pick up a piece or two for her mother, who was an avid wearer and collector. At 11-years-old, Ms. Wilsey received a Bvlgari of her own – a ring from her father, which she still wears today. “It never goes out of style,” she says. “Remember, that’s why it’s an investment.”
Ms. Wilsey is one among many women, famous women like Elizabeth Taylor, who have a thing for Bvlgari and now all of us can view the bold and bright wares at the de Young Museum now through February 17, 2014.
Tremblant brooches have springs allowing the flowers to ever-so-gently tremble.
Called The Art of BVLGARI: La Dolce Vita and Beyond 1950-1990 the exhibit showcases some of the luxury brand’s iconic pieces such as the serpent bracelet-watch of the 1960s, the chunky chokers of the 1980s and my favorite Tremblant floral brooches popular in the late 1950s.
Bvlgari opened in Rome in 1884, but it was in the 1960s that the brand caught celebrity attention when they broke away from the conventions of the day and started mixing colored cabochon (not cut) stones with yellow gold for formal occasions. Until then, it was strictly white gold or platinum for evening and diamonds alone or with one of the other precious stones. But mixing emeralds with sapphires? Rubies with emeralds? Oh, my. Bold yellow gold after 5pm? Not the done thing. Bvlgari changed all that.
The Art of BVLGARI: La Dolce Vita and Beyond 1950-1990 features 150 pieces, including some from the late Elizabeth Taylor’s private collection, which Bvlgari bought at auction. The exhibit is arranged in four sections plus a theater which runs vintage film footage of celebrities sporting the brand. Many pieces are displayed in round stand-alone cases, allowing close-up views of the impressive craftsmanship for which the brand is known.
If you love jewelry (and I do) this exhibit is a treat! Make sure to check out the museum’s website for lectures and special events.
OverDressed for Life 
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