The Italian jeweler and luxury goods retailer BVLGARI is pronounced Bulgari, and is a derivative of Voulgaris, the Greek family name of the firm’s founder, Sotirios Voulgaris. While BVLGARI is most famous for its branded jewelry line, today it also manufactures accessories such as handbags, perfumes and even hotels.
The very first jewelry store inaugurated by BVLGARI’s founder in his hometown of Paramythia is still in existence. After departing Greece, Voulgaris opened up his second jewelry store in the Italian capital in 1884. Within two decades, the BVLGARI stores came to be a place of pilgrimage for rich and famous people from all over the world who sought out luxury jewelry of Greek and Roman design. Today the company is best known for its architectural jewelry that incorporates large gold and steel interlocking links.
During the 1970s, BVLGARI went international and opened retail stores in Paris, Geneva, Monte Carlo and New York City, and it now has two dozen outlets around the world. In 2011, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA spent over $6 billion to purchase BVLGARI from descendants of the firm’s founder who had retained control of the company up until that point.
