MANILA, Philippines ? A select group of Filipinas will soon join the ranks of famous Bulgari owners such as Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, and the late Diana Vreeland once they get their hands on the Italian jewelry brand?s latest Serpenti collection.

The serpent?s timeless and universal appeal, from which Bulgari has drawn inspiration since it introduced its very first Serpenti series in the 1920s, has resurfaced in 2009 in the form of sinuous 18-karat gold bracelets and rings encrusted with pavé diamonds and semi-precious stones.

Majority of the pieces are done in single and double coils except for two. Bulgari doesn?t use gold lower than 18 karats. Diamonds and other stones that make up its pieces are carefully selected to achieve uniform sheen.

Huge necklace

Of course, much has been written about Taylor?s Bulgari collection, including that huge, mind-blowing necklace given to her by former husband Richard Burton.

One of the actress? iconic photos shows her at the ?Cleopatra? set in 1962 wearing Bulgari?s Serpenti watch, a yellow gold piece with the serpent?s head embellished with pavé diamonds and a pair of emeralds for eyes.

Bulgari, in collaboration with such renowned watchmakers as Audemars Piguet, Jaeger, Movado and Vacheron Constantin, has been selling luxury watches under the Serpenti series since the late 1940s. But it wasn?t until the 1970s when it perfected and began manufacturing its own movement to go with a particular timepiece.

But watch enthusiasts would have to wait until November when Bulgari launches globally its latest Serpenti watch collection.

Vreeland, who was known for wearing eccentric and often oversized accessories, used to own a Bulgari gold serpent girdle with pink and white enamel and sapphire eyes. The brand?s Italian artisans in Rome went out of their way to do the commissioned piece.

Luncheon show

Bulgari?s latest Serpenti collection, which was launched recently at a luncheon show at Peninsula Manila?s Old Manila restaurant, is anything but explicit and larger than life. The current pieces are more streamlined, but have managed to remain elegant and perhaps worth their steep price tags.

?More than the name and heritage behind the brand, a Bulgari piece has always been known for its workmanship and the choicest stones that go into it,? said Mario Katigbak, general manager of Bulgari in the Philippines.

?As usual, the back of each piece is as clean and seamless as its front.?

Apart from selecting Serpenti pieces he felt would sell in the Philippines, Katigbak limited it to two pieces per design. Once a particular design is sold, the buyer would have to scour the entire globe in search of a Bulgari store that still carries the piece.

?Since it takes quite some time to produce a piece from a particular collection, Bulgari tries to limit its production based on orders,? he said. ?I ordered these pieces as early as April. Once special pieces like these are sold here, they?re gone forever. The only option left is to look for them in a Bulgari store elsewhere.?

Fluid lines

Although the fluid lines and flexible elements that have characterized the very first Serpenti series in the 1920s are still there, the collection is indeed noteworthy for its elegance, painstaking craftsmanship and subtle attempts to go beyond the literal.

The serpent?s head, for instance, is a more abstract triangular element either dotted with white diamonds or set in onyx or mother of pearl. Gone are the emerald and sapphire to represent the eyes.

The number of elements or segments that make up a piece depends on its length. The double coil Serpenti studded with white diamonds, for instance, has 40 individual elements, including the head. Rings and bracelets come in several sizes.

Certain pieces are studded from the head down to their tails with pavé diamonds, while others are juxtaposed with onyx and mother of pearl that alternate with diamonds.

And unlike most copycat pieces inspired by the serpent, each Serpenti piece, including the line?s rings, is pliable just like a snake. This was achieved thanks to a flexible stainless steel spine made of the same grade used for surgical tools.

?While others simply slide down your wrist or finger, ours coil and wrap themselves around you,? said Katigbak.

As Taylor discovered almost 50 years ago, every Bulgari piece, like a second skin, soon becomes part of you.