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 specimen, 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 the era of Roman rule in Macedonia, 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 is set within a restrained polished bezel and suspended from a chain of 70 cm with a 35 cm drop; the total weight of the piece is 71.49 grams. 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 absolutely identical ancient coins exist — time leaves its own mark upon each, and Bulgari‘s principle of non-intervention preserves that mark untouched. There are no two identical coins — and therefore no two identical necklaces.
The Monete collection is inseparable from the Riviera: it was in Monte Carlo, in 1972, that Princess Grace Kelly 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.
