Chic Women Dripping in Bulgari’s Snake Jewels

During Fashion Week, Bulgari’s Fifth Avenue flagship boutique will temporarily transform into a home for the Roman jeweler’s gem-encrusted golden and enamel snakes for a retrospective called “Serpenti.” (Naturally, this doubles as a lavish nod to the Chinese calendar’s “Year of the Snake.”) Curated by jewelry historian Marion Fasel, the gallery will display dozens of coiled bracelets, belts, watches, and rings crafted in Italy over the past 70 years.

And though the exhibit will only be in New York until March 6 (it will then move to San Francisco and Houston), Bulgari is also releasing a book to commemorate the collection, the history of the bejeweled snake, and the famous faces who wore the gorgeous baubles in Bulgari: Serpenti Collection, also written by Fasel. Keep an eye out for glamorous portraits of Diana Vreeland, Rachel Weisz, Anna Wintour taken by Steven Meisel and Annie Leibovitz, and others, all with serpents slithering up various appendages, waists, and necks. Herewith, the Cut presents an exclusive preview of the images and jewels.