Last updated: July 2026.
The Parentesi is jewellery for a lady who likes a bit of structure — clean, architectural, the same piece whether she is in a suit or a slip dress. Bulgari built it in 1982 from a single repeated bracket-shaped module, and its appeal is that it never fusses; it just holds its line. Pre-owned, it is also one of the more reachable ways into serious Bulgari: as of July 2026 a two-tone steel-and-gold Parentesi sits from about £2,750 as an asking price, while a solid-gold diamond bracelet from the 1980s can reach £22,000–£28,000. It is a design that suits a lady who wants to be recognised by people who know, and left alone by everyone else.
Where does the Parentesi motif come from?
The name is simply the Italian for parentheses — brackets — and the shape is drawn from Rome itself. Bulgari took the bracket-like joints between the travertine paving stones of the ancient city and turned them into a jewellery module. The house tells the story that Gianni Bulgari, arguing that inspiration need not come only from art history, doodled a run of brackets to prove a point; those doodles became a four-part interlocking unit that could be threaded across rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces. It was Bulgari’s first modular collection, made in the goldsmithing town of Valenza, and it became one of the most copied designs of its decade — the V&A, which holds a 1982 example, records exactly that. Bulgari has been a Roman house since 1881, with its flagship on Via Condotti since 1905, and the Parentesi is about as Roman as jewellery gets: quietly monumental.
It is still worn now, too. In 2026 Anne Hathaway stepped out in New York in a Bulgari Tubogas necklace carrying the Parentesi motif — proof the shape has aged into something a modern lady reaches for on her own terms, not a period piece.
How much is a pre-owned Bulgari Parentesi worth?
Segment it by material, because the range is wide and the pieces are genuinely different objects. The honest entry is the two-tone steel-and-gold Parentesi — cuffs and bracelets from roughly £2,750–£3,500, which is remarkable value for a signed Bulgari design you will actually wear. Solid yellow gold without stones — necklaces, rings, hoop earrings — runs from around £3,700, with vintage gold earrings closer to £7,000–£8,000. Add diamonds and pieces move to about £5,500–£15,000, while a fine 1980s diamond bracelet is the collector’s tier at £22,000–£28,000. Coloured-gem versions — topaz, citrine, amethyst set in gold — sit in the low-to-mid teens.
The market for Parentesi is real but niche: Serpenti and B.zero1 trade in far greater volume, so supply of good vintage Parentesi is thinner and the best signed, boxed pieces hold their value well. That scarcity is part of the charm — you are unlikely to meet yourself coming the other way.
A guide to pre-owned Parentesi values (UK, July 2026)
| Piece | Material / configuration | Guide range (asking, Jul 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Two-tone Parentesi / Tubogas cuff — entry | Steel + 18k gold, no stones | ~£2,750–£3,500 |
| Yellow-gold necklace or ring | 18k gold, no stones | ~£3,700–£5,000 |
| Vintage gold hoop earrings | 18k gold | ~£6,000–£8,000 |
| Diamond Parentesi bracelet or necklace | 18k gold + diamonds | ~£5,500–£15,000 |
| Coloured-gem Parentesi | 18k gold + topaz / citrine / amethyst | ~£10,000–£16,000 |
| 1980s diamond bracelet — premium | Vintage 18k gold + diamonds | ~£22,000–£28,000 |
Figures are dealer asking prices as of July 2026, largely converted from US and European listings and therefore indicative; they are wider open-market guide ranges, not Chrono6538’s prices. Chrono6538 sells authenticated, guaranteed pieces at a premium to the private-market floor. Never blend a steel-and-gold cuff with a diamond bracelet — they are separate markets that share a motif.
Will it suit me, and where should I start?
Parentesi suits a lady who wants one clean, confident piece rather than a wardrobe of them — it layers well but stands perfectly alone. The two-tone bracelet is the natural first buy: enough gold to feel like something, enough steel to wear it to the supermarket without a second thought. If you already know you love the look, a solid-gold necklace or a diamond bracelet is the piece you keep. Buy signed and, where possible, boxed; check the modular links move freely and the clasp is crisp, because a tired clasp is the usual weak point on a much-worn example.
The point of a piece like this is that it is authenticated, guaranteed, and yours to love — chosen because it is you, not because it will impress a room. See the fine jewellery at Chrono6538 →
This piece describes how the Parentesi has held its value in the wider market; it is not investment advice, and values can fall as well as rise.