Bvlgari launches Tubogas jewellery collection

IT WAS back in 1948 that Bvlgari started trying to craft a supple and enveloping bracelet for its first Serpenti jewellery watch. Those efforts decades ago resulted in the creation of the now instantly-recognisable Tubogas – a standout design featuring rings of gold that are seamlessly interlocked, without any soldering, to form springy, flexible coils.

Named after the gas pipe used to transport pressurised gas in the 1920s, Tubogas reflected the aesthetics of a time when industrial design boomed in Europe. From the 1970s, the design became truly iconic. Starting with the bracelet of Bvglari’s Serpenti watch, the Tubogas concept extended to its other collections, such as the Monete, Parentesi and Bvlgari Bvlgari.

And now, the Roman jeweller has decided that it’s high time Tubogas has a dedicated jewellery collection of its own. This week, it unveiled the debut collection, comprising 16 designs. These are mostly crafted in yellow gold – the same hue Bvlgari chose back when high jewellery was dominated by the Art Deco style and platinum creations.

With its latest jewellery line, Bvlgari offers essential pieces free of embellishments, as well as those that incorporate its other signature aesthetic codes.

For day-to-day wear, you have Tubogas bracelets in yellow gold, a contemporary three-gold version, and one featuring diamond studs.

Another very lovely piece which we think will fly off the shelves is a simple yet gorgeous, bulbous ring whose wider construction allows it to better show off its polished, gleaming surface.

Similarly, there are necklaces that range from an understated, golden chain holding a central Tubogas element to supple chokers in shiny yellow gold or decorated with diamond studs.

Not surprisingly, the jeweller’s other popular designs are also making their presence felt in the new collection.

Bvlgari’s recognisable, Parentesi geometric motif – itself inspired by Roman pavements – comes set with diamonds in a necklace and bracelet.

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Then there’s the beloved Serpenti, which appears in a super sleek necklace, with the snake’s Tubogas body coiling around the throat, a swirl of pave diamonds around the reptile’s head. There is also a matching bracelet and ring.

Of course, Bvlgari, which is known for its use of coloured gems, can’t resist introducing them into the Tubogas collection. Framed by geometric hard stone inserts and pave diamonds, a tanzanite, rubellite or green tourmaline sits at the centre of a Tubogas choker that has been slightly refashioned to form a triangular shape for added volume.

The piece de resistance, however, is a necklace in pink gold featuring a 16.89-carat cushion rubellite accompanied by buff-top green tourmalines and pave diamonds.

Finally, the collection comes with a new Bvlgari Bvlgari Tubogas watch, which combines a lithe Tubogas bracelet with the double-logo engraving on the yellow gold case – inspired by the round inscriptions on ancient Roman coins. The triple bracelet is crafted in yellow, white and rose gold, setting a contrast against the timepiece’s black lacquered dial and sparkling diamond-hour markers.