The history of the brand began at the end of the 19th century when the Greek silversmith Sotiris Boulgaris (name later Italianised as Sotirio Bulgari) fled from Epirus, affected by the fights between Greeks and Turks, to seek his fortune in Italy. After a first stop in Naples in 1881, with tenacity and determination in 1884 he managed to open a shop in Rome in via Sistina. In the following years he opened other branches in Sanremo, Bellagio, Naples, Sorrento, Saint-Moritz, then among the most fashionable holiday destinations. In 1905 he moved to the prestigious headquarters in via dei Condotti, still the main headquarters of the company today; on the sign he wrote “Old Curiosity Shop” (The antique dealer’s shop) from the title of a novel by Charles Dickens, an explicit invitation for rich English speakers passing through Rome. Initially dedicated exclusively to silver, Sotirio Bulgari decided to also include jewelery in a broader sense in its production; the company thus acquired its own particular and unmistakable style due to the clear distance from the French style, rediscovering stylistic elements taken from ancient Greek traditions.

In 1900, the logotype appeared for the first time with the dotted name and surname of the founder, composed with a lapidary character.

At the end of the 1920s another logo appeared composed with the initials in capital letters and the rest in lowercase; the font used had original movements and graces.

To honor its courtly past, Bulgari kept the original Latin “V” of the family surname which he had engraved on his shop during the major restoration works in 1934 for the fiftieth anniversary of its foundation. The refined silver jewelry he forged immediately met with great success with local customers and wealthy British and American tourists. In the Thirties Costantino and Giorgio, sons of Sotiris, joined the company: the former, well versed in the study and interested in the silver collecting side, began to collect antiques, carved jades, icons and art objects more in general; the second, on the other hand, devoted himself to the creative aspect of the business, thanks to his knowledge of stones, design and processing techniques. In the 1950s and 1960s, Bulgari became the reference point for the nobility, for wealthy foreign tourists on holiday in Rome, for the cinema jet set, establishing itself as a luxury logo recognized all over the world. Over the years, Bulgari’s success has continued to grow, so much so that the company decides to expand the business to other sectors as well.