Bvlgari, the Roman luxury behemoth, showcased one of the most expensive jewelry designs they have ever created: a jaw-dropping snaking diamond choker crafted from a rough diamond totaling 200 carats which is worth a staggering €40 million. The necklace, named the Serpenti Aeterna, is the centerpiece of a celebratory collection designed by jewelry creative director Lucia Silvestri to mark the house’s 140th anniversary. The collection includes coiling snakes, juicy cabochon-cut gemstones, and ancient coins, and was unveiled at the historic Terme di Diocleziano.
The necklace took over 2,800 hours to complete and features seven flawless pear diamond drops totaling 140 carats along with 698 undulating baguette cut diamonds. Bvlgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin named Priyanka Chopra his “queen” at the event, but it’s likely one of the Roman brand’s top tier high jewelry clients will be keen to take that diamond-sparkling crown.
The Serpenti Aeterna necklace is just one creation crafted to mark Bulgari’s 140th anniversary. It forms the centerpiece of a celebratory collection designed by jewelry creative director Lucia Silvestri, dazzling with coiling snakes, juicy cabochon-cut gemstones and ancient coins, that was unveiled at the historic Terme di Diocleziano—the site of the largest ancient public baths in Rome.
A static, vitrine-lined jewelry presentation this was not: breathtaking necklaces, secret watches and earrings sparkled on models including Mariacarla Boscono, Isabella Rossellini (fresh from a recent catwalk outing at Pucci) and Carla Bruni, who took a turn on the outdoor runway as night fell.
Watching from the starry front row? Chopra, who sat alongside her fellow Bvlgari ambassadors Anne Hathaway, Liu Yifei, Shu Qi, Hikari Mori and Alessandro Gassman, sporting a monochromatic corseted Del Core gown and the twinkling pièce de résistance from Bulgari’s 140th anniversary collection.
Only a tiny section of the world’s wealthiest will be able to afford the Serpenti Aeterna necklace (one journalist suggested Jeff Bezos might purchase it for his future bride Lauren Sanchez). Their Roman Empire awaits.
