Serpents in High Jewellery
Aobe: Jessica McCormack – 0.90ct Diamond Golden Snake Ring / @jessica_mccormack
With 2025 marking the Year of the Snake, there is no better moment to embrace the allure of bejewelled serpents. For centuries, the snake has symbolised transformation and renewal, themes that continue to captivate designers and collectors alike.
Above left: Ole Lynggaard Snakes ring small pavé. Above right: Ole Lynggaard Snake ring medium by Ole Lynggaard / @olelynggaardcopenhagen
The motif first coiled its way into modern jewellery history when Bulgari unveiled its inaugural Serpenti watch in 1948, inspired by the treasures of ancient Rome and the mythic jewellery of Cleopatra herself. The design slithered to cinematic fame in 1962 when Elizabeth Taylor was photographed on the set of Cleopatra wearing a diamond-encrusted Serpenti bracelet-watch, a moment that cemented its status as an icon of sensuality and power. More than seventy-five years later, the serpent remains Bulgari’s enduring emblem. As CEO Jean-Christophe Babin explains, it embodies the brand’s spirit of “endless metamorphosis,” continually evolving while retaining its unmistakable identity.
Creative director Lucia Silvestri has reimagined the serpent for a new era, refining it into a stylised diamond viper that feels both modern and timeless. “Reinterpreting Serpenti without altering its soul is a constant and inspiring challenge,” she says.
Above: Il Serpente Triple Coil Bracelet with Diamonds & Rubies by Sidney Garber / @sidneygarber
Beyond Bulgari, the serpent has found expression in the hands of other great maisons. Boucheron’s Serpent Bohème, first created by founder Frédéric Boucheron as a token of love for his wife, has been revived and reinterpreted across decades, each iteration capturing the fluid elegance of the creature’s form. At Tiffany & Co., Elsa Peretti’s sculptural snake designs curl in sleek gold, often clasping their own tails in a nod to the ancient symbol of eternity, the Ouroboros. Cartier too has long been fascinated by the motif. Its archives reveal creations from the late 1960s for Mexican actress MarÃa Félix, including a 57 centimetre diamond-studded serpent. When once asked why she chose snakes, Félix famously replied, “It’s more of a fondness for diamonds than for snakes.”
Left: Elsa Peretti® Snake Earrings in Yellow Gold. Right: Elsa Peretti® Snake Ring in Yellow Gold with Diamonds by Tiffany & Co. / @tiffanyandco
Above: Sepentini necklace Left: Serpenti Viper Bracelet by Bulgari Right: Serpenti Tubogas Ring by Bulgari / @bvgari
Note: See the Sepanti bracelet on beautiful bride Zanna in the recent wedding of Zanna + Antony by Jack Henry
Beyond Bulgari, the serpent has found expression in the hands of other great maisons. Boucheron’s Serpent Bohème, first created by founder Frédéric Boucheron as a token of love for his wife, has been revived and reinterpreted across decades, each iteration capturing the fluid elegance of the creature’s form. At Tiffany & Co., Elsa Peretti’s sculptural snake designs curl in sleek gold, often clasping their own tails in a nod to the ancient symbol of eternity, the Ouroboros. Cartier too has long been fascinated by the motif. Its archives reveal creations from the late 1960s for Mexican actress MarÃa Félix, including a 57 centimetre diamond-studded serpent. When once asked why she chose snakes, Félix famously replied, “It’s more of a fondness for diamonds than for snakes.”
Luna Transformation Locket by Zoe & Morgan / @zoeandmorgan
Snake Motif Ring by HStern / @hsternofficial
Jessica McCormack – 0.90ct Diamond Golden Snake Ring / @jessica_mccormack
From Cleopatra’s jewels to contemporary ateliers, the snake continues to weave through jewellery design as a timeless emblem of rebirth, seduction and strength, a reminder that beauty, like the serpent itself, is forever shedding its skin to reveal something new.
