Advertisement

This Stunning High-Jewelry Necklace Was Inspired by a Roman Villa

Photo credit: Paola Pansini
Photo credit: Paola Pansini

From ELLE Decor


Above: The emerald, ­diamond, and pink-gold ­Barocko high-jewelry necklace by Bulgari, price upon request.


Built in the mid- to late 17th century, the Villa Aurelia is an elegant example of Baroque architecture with a colorful history. Situated on a hill near Rome’s Aurelian walls, it was commissioned by the Cardinal Girolamo Farnese (it was originally called the Villa Farnese), who became governor of Rome in 1650.

It left the Farnese family’s possession in the early 18th century and moved through a succession of owners, including American philanthropist Clara Jessup Heyland. Since 1909, it has been entrusted to the American Academy in Rome. And there could hardly be a richer or more appropriate ­backdrop than the Villa Aurelia, where this necklace was photographed, for Bulgari’s Barocko high-jewelry collection.

Inspired by Rome’s many dramatic Baroque sites, Bulgari has centered its new pieces around the themes of wonder, color, and light. The latter category includes this necklace in pink gold, with a central 14-carat oval emerald and an assemblage of cabochon and buff top–cut emeralds and brilliant, marquise, fancy step-cut, and pavé diamonds, whose scintillating effect is not unlike the extravagantly carved surfaces of the Fountain of the Four Rivers and Rome’s other landmarks gleaming in the morning light.

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned


This story originally appeared in the October 2020 issue of ELLE Decor. SUBSCRIBE

You Might Also Like