Throughout history, the snake has been an enduring symbol of strength. In ancient Egypt, the ouroboros, a serpent endlessly eating its own tail, represented renewal; Hindu philosophy describes the kundalini, or “coiled snake,” as a form of divine energy lying dormant in the spine and awakened only through discipline. In more recent years, the animal has become synonymous with Bulgari, the Roman house founded in 1884 by Sotirio Bulgari, a Greek silversmith turned goldsmith and jeweler. When World War II limited Bulgari’s access to materials, the brand adapted by replacing diamond-set platinum with yellow gold and explored softer, more fluid forms. In 1948, the company debuted the Serpenti, a bracelet with a clean, geometric watch dial and a spiraling band meant to evoke industrial corrugated tubing. By the 1960s, Bulgari had adorned the timepiece with enameled scales and a variety of gemstones, including lapis lazuli, coral, jade, onyx and turquoise. In 1962, at the height of the Serpenti’s fame, Elizabeth Taylor was photographed wearing one on the set of “Cleopatra” in Rome.
Now Bulgari has introduced the Serpenti Alexandrina, which nods to the 1948 original as well as to a circa 1970 iteration of the gold necklace with black enamel and diamonds. At the heart of the new design lies the serpent’s head, rendered in a faceted mandarin garnet, while its sinuous body, sculpted in rose gold, slithers down the neck. Accented with chrysoprase and onyx stones, the creation required approximately 470 hours to complete. The result is an object that captures the imagination and retains its hypnotic allure.
