The Secret History of Maya Rudolph’s Bulgari Jewelry at the Emmys

76th primetime emmy awards arrivals
Maya Rudolph Wore Bulgari Jewelry at the EmmysKevin Mazur - Getty Images

Her jewels were iconic Bulgari Serpenti pieces in yellow gold and diamond. The Serpenti, a style that began at the Italian house in the late 1940s first in a more abstract form and then slowly, like its namesake, it revealed itself and began to take shape in brightly colored enameled watches and bracelets. Serpenti has been worn by some of the strongest, and most stylish women in the world, including Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Vreeland, Marisa Berenson, Gina Lollobrigida, Zendaya, Naomi Watts, and Angela Bassett.

Bulgari celebrated the 75th anniversary of the style in 2022, and desire for it continues to increase and the designs continue to evolve: sometimes you might see a morganite dangling from its mouth, sometimes a crown of aquamarines, sometimes it’s hidden in the clasp of a 140 carat diamond necklace. And look there, two exceedingly rare sapphires, dripping off a pendant.

What draws them all to it? The serpent is a figure loaded with meaning: rebirth, transformation, immortality, renewal. It connects the wearer to the past but is filled with the promise of a future. Its presence is powerful in a simple gold bangle, a rose gold ring, a necklace set with 70 rubies or a prized emerald.

Rudolph’s pieces are signature Serpenti, handcrafted in yellow gold and studded with stones. They are a bold choice, but Rudolph’s jewelry choices have always exhibited their fair share of jewelry ambition: those major David Webb chandelier earrings at the Time 100 gala, the enormous Schiaparelli gold bib at a premiere, the woven gold Neil Lane couture lavalier at the Creative Arts Emmys last week. The choice of Bulgari Serpenti continues this streak. And we bet Molly Wells has one just like it.

2024 time100 gala
Maya Rudolph wore chandelier earrings by David Webb to the 2024 Time 100 gala earlier this year.Jared Siskin - Getty Images

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