Founded in 1884 by Sotirois Voulgaris, Bulgari is one of the oldest Italian jewellery 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 jewellery house’s logo is written as BVLGARI as it follows the classic Latin alphabet. Voulgaris created jewellery that honoured ancient Roman architecture, mosaics and coins. When looking at where Bulgari is made, although the headquarters are in Roma, most of the jewellery is actually made in Valenza.

During the 1950’s, Bulgari rose in popularity among the Italian nobility and American socialites. Bulgari’s jewellery 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 .