Sotirio Voulgaris was born in northern Greece in a tiny village in the Pindus Mountains. The area was renowned for its silversmithing and the craft spanned generations. Voulgaris embraced the art and followed a long line of family silversmiths. He had an eye for detail and exceptional design skills which took him on a voyage to produce beautiful jewellery.
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In 1877, he moved to Corfu, but the rapidly growing city of Rome caught his eye, and in 1881, he moved to Rome and opened his first store. The business grew at pace, and Voulgaris, enthralled by the Italian way of life, changed his name to Bulgari, which was the phonetic version of his Greek family name. Bulgari became the brand name, and he opened his flagship store in 1904. The store was situated on an elite street near the Spanish Steps, and it quickly established a reputation for exquisitely crafted Greek jewellery that had an Italian twist.

In 1932, his two sons, Constantino and Giorgio, inherited the business. The sons redesigned the store and set up a sophisticated, luxurious interior akin to the reputation that the brand had developed. They introduced pink and beige Italian marble which became the hallmark of Bvlgari. The brand logo was also tweaked from Bulgari to Bvlgari which used the Roman alphabet, and U changed to V.
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During World War II, Bvlgari removed the precious stones from the jewellery designs, as wartime restrictions made them difficult to obtain. Instead, the brand concentrated on making exquisite, sculptural pieces in yellow gold. Once the war was over, and life became more prosperous, Bvlgari set to work designing magnificent jewellery encrusted with precious stones once more, including diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, and rubies. The stunning designs soon attracted wealthy celebrities, nobility, and socialites who had the money to spend on these beautiful and luxurious pieces.