Description
Bulgari turned to antiquity in the 1960s, when Nicola Bulgari — grandson of the house’s founder and a passionate numismatist — first set genuine ancient coins in gold. Thus the Monete collection was born: jewels in which Roman, Greek and Hellenistic coins are granted a second life, mounted with the same reverence reserved for the rarest gemstones. The house never intervenes in the coin itself: each bezel is fashioned to the contours of the individual piece, while the marks of time, the irregularities of hand-striking and the patina are preserved as testimony to authenticity rather than treated as flaws.
This necklace is crafted in 18K rose gold and carries at its centre a genuine ancient coin from Macedonia under Roman rule, struck in approximately 158–150 BC — a time when the old Macedonian kingdom had already entered Rome’s orbit. Measuring 27 mm in diameter, the coin sits within a restrained polished bezel, suspended from a 68 cm chain with a 34 cm drop. Its authenticity and antiquity are confirmed by a Bulgari certificate — a guarantee without any time limit. Every Monete creation is unique by its very nature: no two ancient coins are alike, and therefore no two necklaces can ever be.
The Monete collection is inseparable from the Riviera: it was in Monte Carlo, in 1972, that Princess Grace of Monaco appeared wearing a necklace from this line, setting a tone the collection has honoured ever since. For a collection in Monaco, this piece is more than a jewel — it is a tangible thread drawn from the ancient Mediterranean to the modern tradition of high jewellery.
