By AWJ Reporter Victoria Townsend: March 17 2017 marked the official opening of the most important jewellery manufacturing facility in Europe, when Bulgari Group CEO Jean-Christophe Babin welcomed national and local dignitaries, guests and the press to the luxury brand’s new ‘Manifattura’ in Valenza, Italy, just 90 minutes southwest of Milano.
Described by CEO Babin as a “day of celebration” … of many things: “of 6,000 years of goldsmithing, of Valenza, of craftsmanship made by passionate hands for over 130 years at Bulgari, of jewellery making, of ‘Made in Italy’, of tradition, of the Bulgari family, of positivity with the creation of new jobs, of gender equality, of ambition” and much, much more, the 14,000 square meters facility has already started to produce all the brand’s main jewellery collections, including the B.zero1, Serpenti, Diva, BVLGARI-BVLGARI and Parentesi lines. Designs for these creations continue to be made at the brand’s head office and facility in Rome.
The site, designed and established with responsible development for both employee and environmental concerns, complements those in Rome, where one-of-a-kind pieces are crafted, and Florence, Lodi and Como, where respectively, accessories, perfumes and silk are produced, all according to the highest levels of Italian aesthetics and quality.
The Site
Two different buildings of very different architectural style greet the visitor upon arrival. The first, the Cascina dell’Orefice, housed the first goldsmith in the region – Francesco Caramora -- at the beginning of the 19th century. Restored to pay tribute to his installation and craftsmanship that gave birth to the development of what was then a rural village into the city of Valenza today, internationally renowned for its Italian goldsmithing, the building now houses offices and conference rooms. It adjoins a new wing, completely encased in glass, called the Glass House, adjacent to the production building built on three floors with a wide inner courtyard of 600 square meters.
The Bulgari Jewellery Academy
Production at the Manufacture Bulgari began in January 2017, prior to the official inauguration. Approximately 400 employees already work there, with the aim to hire 300 more by 2020, for a total capacity of 700 people. In order to perpetuate the development of the region, and crafts that include goldsmithing and gem setting, the Maison has created the Bulgari Jewellery Academy within the new facility. This school of jewellery-making know-how opened in March 2017 with the first 21 young jewellery trainees. Total capacity is 42 students, who train for a four month period, with the best one offered employment at Bulgari.
Production
Inside the production building, we discover the first department that makes rubber molds that are filled with melted gold; followed by the industrial department that makes tubogas, all the jewellery components, and special orders; and thirdly, the refining and cleaning department that also controls all the elements that then go to be assembled, or directly delivered to retailers in the case of, eg certain bracelets.
Elements are received “somewhat like a luxurious Ikea kit”, our guide tells us, in a “product island” with each island responsible for the finishing and assembly of one line in particular. Every person who works within each product island masters all the necessary steps within his craft, whether, for example, engraving, polishing, or gem-setting. A total of eighteen islands will function when the facility reaches full capacity.
“Eight islands are in activity now”, says Nicolò Rapone, Project Director for the Manufacture, in a private interview with AWJ, “with ten more to be opened by 2019”. Rapone tells us that “two entire islands are dedicated to the pillar of the brand, the ‘B-01’, with any other island able to take on additional production of the ‘B-01’ if necessary”. The craftspeople in the “islands” create everything from entry level pieces up to high jewellery, everything except the unique high jewellery pieces created in Rome.
After ‘B-01’, Rapone cites the other product lines in order of importance: Serpenti, Diva – “a young pillar”, he says, “growing a lot especially in the Middle East”, followed by Bvlgari-Bvlgari and Parentesi.
“We buy pure gold, and produce our own here depending upon the colour of gold required” explains Rapone, “with raw materials that are certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council since 2006. In 2011 we obtained the “Code of Practices” certification, and in 2016 the Chain of Custody dedicated to gold from no-conflict area. We were the first big jeweller in the world to have this.”
Rapone estimates that with Cartier leading the jewellery market worldwide, Bulgari is in second position followed by “perhaps” Van Cleef & Arpels and Tiffany. “With this new site we have tripled our capacity, and, stimulated by great communications and investment, not just in our facilities but also in our distribution, and by the reinvention of our old collections with new creativity, we are aiming to develop” he says. “Despite economic difficulties in various parts of the globe, growth is there, in Europe, in America for high jewellery, the Chinese are buying in the UK, other Asian countries are developing, as is the Middle East.”
Amid a busy day that included the opening ceremony and production visits, one of the most touching moments came from Nicolas Bulgari telling us how he would have loved for his father Giorgio, and grand-father Sotirio who came from Greece and founded the company in Rome in 1884, to be there for the inauguration.
Italy is still today the world’s largest producer and exporter of jewellery.
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