Founded in 1884 by Sotirois Voulgaris, Bulgari is one of the oldest Italian jewelry houses. Sotirois Voulgaris immigrated to Italy in 1880 from Greece with only a few cents to his name but was a highly skilled silversmith. He named his brand Bulgari as it was the phonetic pronunciation of his last name. The jewelry house’s logo is written as BVLGARI as it follows the classic Latin alphabet. Voulgaris created jewelry that honored ancient Roman architecture, mosaics and coins. When looking at where Bulgari is made, although the headquarters are in Roma, most of the jewelry is actually made in Valenza.

During the 1950’s, Bulgari rose in popularity among the Italian nobility and American socialites. Bulgari’s jewelry was frequently used in classic Hollywood movies, such as Roman Holiday, King Kong and Cleopatra, adorning the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and Jessica Langue.