“Remain a woman” — Lucia Silvestri on breaking through in a world built by men

Bvlgari’s Jewellery Executive Creative Director Lucia Silvestri occupies a position that exists nowhere else in the jewellery world. Over four decades, she has shaped the visual identity of one of the most storied Maisons, guided by intuition, passion, and a rare dual mastery of creativity and commerce.

Steppe founder and CEO Zaure Rozmat met Lucia in Rome, surrounded by trays of extraordinary stones, and spoke with her about the power of gems, the loneliness of being first, and why she always follows her heart.

Lucia Silvestri joined Bvlgari at the age of eighteen as a summer internship, with every intention of returning to university that autumn. She never left. Today, she holds the title of Jewellery Executive Creative Director, a double role that has never existed anywhere else in fine jewellery, born of a philosophy passed down by the Bvlgari family themselves: never buy a stone unless you already see the jewel it will become.

We met her in Rome, where the next collection, 2027, was already taking shape on the table in front of us, stone by stone.

— You joined Bvlgari at 18 as an intern, expecting to return to university in the fall. You never did. What made you stay?

I am very lucky to have discovered my passion here, in Bvlgari, when I started working with Mr. Bulgari. They became my mentors, my teachers. If I am here today, it is because of them.

Of course, my passion, my determination, my sacrifices, all of that played a role. But in the end, I followed my heart. And as a woman, I am very proud to say that this role is unique in the jewellery world, truly unique. There are many creative directors, but no one who is both creative director and purchasing director. I have two roles in one person. This came about because I started with a family, the Bvlgari family, and they worked in this way: buying the gems, and building everything around the gems. I learned so many lessons from them.

— One of the first lessons you learned was “never buy a stone just because it’s beautiful, only buy it when you can already see the jewel it will become”. After all this time, does that principle ever get complicated in practice?

That was one of the first lessons from Mr. Bulgari: don’t buy a stone if you don’t know how you can use it. Don’t put it aside as stock just because it is beautiful. You have to think about creativity first.

From the very beginning, I started to develop my creativity in a commercial way. I was very young, and I was already learning to think like this. That’s why, when I start to think about a jewel, I think about the value, not only the creativity. I know exactly what these gems represent. A normal creative director can play with gems, but they may not know the value. I know though. We have a budget, a range of prices, and I have to respect that. For me, this is something very natural. But it is not for everyone.

We are working on the 2027 collection right now, right here on this table. I started from the gems, as always. I follow the process from the beginning: buying, selecting, working with the team of designers, working with the buyers. I am in the middle. On one side the designers, on the other the buyers. I coordinate the two teams. It takes eighteen months from when I begin to when a collection launches.

— The jewellery world has always been created for women, yet for a long time the people making the decisions were men. You were the first woman to hold the role of Creative Director at Bvlgari. What did that mean to you, and do you think it shaped the work itself?

I became Creative Director in 2013, because the group and the company needed a face. Before me, Mr. Bulgari himself held that function. He was not officially called Creative Director, but he was the creative force. So I was the first person to hold this position formally, and I am really proud to be a woman in that role.

It is still a male-dominated world. Can you imagine, more than 40 years ago, negotiating as a woman with all men, different religions, different cultures? It was really difficult, especially at the beginning. Now it has changed. But still very male-dominated, even though jewellery is created for women.

What I always say to younger women entering this world: remain a woman. Don’t try to copy men. Be very feminine, very gentle, very kind, but very determined. And look people in the eyes. Straight in the eyes.

— You are known for letting the stone lead. Does an idea or an image ever come first, where you go looking for the right stone to match it?

The gem inspires me. If I have a sapphire in my hands, I start to think: can this be a bracelet? A necklace? I can mix it with mandarin garnet, I can mix it with mint tourmaline. I start to think about the creativity with the stone in my hands. The stone is always the starting point. That is how I work. That is how I have always worked.

— You say that gemstones have energy, that they are almost like living things. Has a stone ever genuinely changed the direction of a piece, pushed back on what you had originally imagined?

It can happen. Usually I am very clear on the idea. Maybe I am working toward a necklace, and there is a twenty percent chance it becomes a bracelet instead. But sometimes the stone changes everything.

Do I believe gems have energy? Of course. They are a gift of nature. And as a gift of nature, they must have energy. I can spend days, hours with the gems without being tired, thinking about colours, imagining new combinations. For me it is not really a job. It is something I love. And I take energy from the gems.

— Can gemstones still surprise you after more than forty years?

Sure. Sometimes it is an incredible emotion. I bought a sapphire in February and I cried when I saw it. If I talk about it now, I have the same emotion again.

It is a sapphire, just under 32 carats, blue, cushion cut, from Sri Lanka. The colour is extraordinary. And the facets are soft, not sharp. If you look at the stone, it appears almost wet. That is my favourite kind of stone. Sapphire is my favourite gem.

This ring I am wearing, I bought this sapphire in 1995. I have been in love with it ever since. Even after forty years, some gems surprise me enormously. Every time.

— How do you know when a piece is finished? 

When I find the right harmony. That is the key word for me, “harmony”. When I see that in terms of colours, design, diamonds, everything together there is a great harmony, for me it is enough.

Gems without craftsmanship, without design; they are beautiful gifts from nature. But for us it is important to enhance the beauty of the gems with craftsmanship and with creativity. And then, of course, emotion. Our jewels are emotions. We share beauty, the beauty of creativity, the beauty of nature. Emotion is always at the centre.

— If Rome were a gemstone, which one would it be?

A Padparadscha sapphire. It is a very special sapphire, that particular colour, from the Eclettica collection. Why? Because Rome has wonderful sunsets. And this is the colour of that glow. A woman’s sunset.

— Another lesson from Mr. Bulgari was “don’t be shy with colour”. Where does inspiration come from for you, beyond the stones themselves?

Don’t be shy with colour. Dare to use it. That is why the brand has its own unique language. You have to feel it. You have to feel the energy.

Travelling is very important. Meeting people is very important. Everywhere I go, even a small detail can inspire me. When I meet people from other countries, when I see different aesthetics, all of it becomes material. Inspiration is everywhere.

— Do you think your example will inspire younger women to enter this world?

I hope so. I really do. And I am very proud when I can feel this, when I meet younger girls or ladies who tell me that I have inspired them. . I am very proud of that.

I think that now, at my age, after this long career, this is one of my greatest achievements: to be an inspiration for the young generation. My job is my passion. I can spend days with the gems, hours thinking about colours, imagining new combinations, without ever getting tired. For this reason, I believe I am truly lucky.