Marina Bulgari
Jewelry as a Work of Art
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problem
When Marina Bulgari decided to enter the digital space, the brand had no website, no e-commerce infrastructure, and no digital precedent. This was a house built on intimacy, discretion, and physical presence. At the time, purchasing high value jewelry online was still uncommon, and the real risk was not technical failure but loss of trust. The challenge was to translate legacy, authorship, and confidence into a digital medium without turning the brand into a conventional store.
solution
I led the creation of Marina Bulgari’s first digital showroom and e-commerce experience. The site was designed as a curated archive rather than a transactional platform, allowing storytelling and authorship to come before commerce. The experience preserved the feeling of a private showroom while quietly enabling high value transactions through secure and carefully considered technical decisions.
Behavioral discovery:
I began by studying how high net worth individuals actually buy. Not how standard e-commerce flows assume they behave, but how collectors research, build trust, and make decisions. Discretion, pacing, and narrative mattered more than speed or conversion tactics.
Narrative structure
The key insight was that the website could not behave like a store. I introduced a timeline that placed Marina Bulgari’s history, authorship, and influence at the forefront. This framed the jewelry as cultural artifacts rather than inventory and established context before any transaction was invited.
Experience design
The interface was designed to move slowly and deliberately. Generous whitespace, controlled hierarchy, and restrained interactions mirrored the physical showroom experience. Nothing rushed the visitor. Nothing competed for attention.
Commerce and trust
High value transactions required reliability without spectacle. I implemented payment systems capable of handling large orders and designed clear but subtle trust signals throughout the experience. For international clients, a concierge flow was introduced, allowing digital initiation while preserving personal handling of logistics and fulfillment.
Content and media
Photography was central to the experience. High resolution imagery was carefully optimized to preserve detail without sacrificing performance. Content was structured around the Trisolina legacy collection and select releases, guiding visitors through story first, product second.
Technical foundation
The platform was built on Shopify for its payment reliability and stability at scale, while the front end was custom designed to avoid mass market e-commerce patterns. Technology remained invisible, serving the experience rather than defining it.
Outcome
The launch marked Marina Bulgari’s first true digital presence. The site enabled direct online purchasing for the first time, connected social storytelling to commerce, expanded reach beyond physical showrooms, and became a critical revenue channel during COVID. What began as an exploration quickly became essential infrastructure.
Reflection
This project demonstrated that luxury does not disappear online when handled with restraint. It transforms. The work reinforced that the highest form of design is not expression or novelty, but respect for how people with history, means, and expectations move through digital space.
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