Bulgari

The 1970s marked a period of international expansion for Bulgari as the house sought to broaden its clientele, opening its New York boutique at the Pierre Hotel in 1972 as the first of several locations abroad. Among the diverse sources of inspiration the firm embraced during this decade, American imagery played a prominent role, most notably in its bold “Stars-and-Stripes” jewels, created to engage a growing U.S. audience. Acquired at a Bulgari-hosted festivity in 1976 to mark America’s Bicentennial, the present brooch similarly celebrates patriotism with the American bald eagle, strikingly rendered in gold and onyx with sapphire and citrine stripes. Now offered ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary, it is a compelling tribute to civic pride as conceived through the lens of sophisticated Italian style.