The venerable Italian fine jewelry house Bulgari is commemorating its 125th anniversary with a huge exhibit at the Grand Palais in Paris.

The exhibition will retrace the main chapters in Bulgari’s history and the evolution of the esthetic that made the brand a driving force of the “Italian school,” from the opening of the first shop on Via Sistina in 1884 through the modern day.

This fascinating saga is illustrated by more than 600 masterpieces of jewelry, watch- and clockmaking, and the decorative arts, including some one hundred exclusive pieces that will be on public display for the first time.

The exhibit is divided chronologically into periods and the retrospective begins with designs using silver and diamonds from the first half of the 20th century.

Then it shows the creative turn taken in the 1960s with the emergence of a new style combining precious stones with rarely used original materials.

The exhibition continues with the eclectic style inspired by 1970s pop art, the bold designs of the 1980s and ’90s, right through to the spectacular designs of the 21st century.

In addition to the baubles themselves, drawings, cinema stills and original items from private collections never yet publicly exhibited in France, including Bulgari’s own vintage collection, will also be on display.

The Chinese blog Red Luxury reported on Tuesday that in a major publicity move to ramp up in the Chinese market, Bulgari will be bringing the large jewelry exhibit to Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai in early 2011.

Bulgari: 125 years of Italian Magnificence will run from Dec 10 through Jan 12.

AFPrelaxnews – For more information about the Paris exhibit visit grandpalais.fr