On the red carpet of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, High Jewelry creations formed a narrative parallel to that of cinema: serpents coiling around the body, diamond feathers suggesting movement, panthers sculpted in gold and colored gemstones chosen to give character to every appearance.

Bvlgari, CHANEL and Cartier accompanied actresses and models with jewels that transcend their ornamental function. Every creation carries an archive of symbols, techniques and aesthetic codes, reinterpreted through distinctly different personalities.

Maggie Gyllenhaal, the ever-changing allure of Serpenti

Director and Jury President Maggie Gyllenhaal entrusted Bvlgari with the precious narrative of her appearances in Venice, exploring the many facets of the iconic Serpenti collection.

She wore an 18-carat rose gold Serpenti High Jewelry necklace, embellished with onyx elements, two pear-shaped diamonds and pavé diamonds. A sculptural jewel built around the contrast between the intensity of black onyx and the radiance of the stones.

She paired the necklace with a two-coil Serpenti Viper ring in rose gold with pavé diamonds and Serpenti Viper earrings, also crafted in rose gold and illuminated by demi-pavé diamonds. A Divas’ Dream calfskin clutch and Serpenti eyewear completed the look.

For a later appearance at the Festival, Gyllenhaal chose an even bolder interpretation of Bvlgari’s emblematic serpent. The Serpenti High Jewelry earrings in yellow and white gold, featuring 36 marquise-cut diamonds, four rubies and pavé diamonds, framed her face with a vivid, theatrical light.

The matching ring, crafted in white and yellow gold with 28 brilliant-cut diamonds, eight rubies and pavé diamonds, echoed the same chromatic dialogue. The Melone clutch and Serpenti Viper sunglasses completed a look in which the serpent motif became a distinctive signature: magnetic, dynamic and continually evolving.

Bianca Balti, color as a statement

Top model and Bvlgari Brand Ambassador Bianca Balti brought one of the Roman Maison’s most intense and colorful interpretations of High Jewelry to the red carpet.

Her 18-carat rose gold necklace combined onyx elements, cushion-cut tanzanites and pink tourmalines with luminous pavé diamonds. The composition was built around an encounter between soft volumes and striking contrasts: the black of the onyx, the deep shades of the tanzanites, the vibrant pink of the tourmalines and the continuous radiance of the diamonds.

The matching earrings, crafted in 18-carat rose gold with onyx, cushion-cut pink tourmalines and pavé-set diamonds, echoed the necklace’s chromatic rhythm. The result was a look of powerful presence, in which color moved beyond decoration to become a language and an expression of personality.

Rebecca Donaldson, emeralds and embracing geometries

Rebecca Donaldson chose the sinuous essentiality of the Serpenti Viper collection, relying on the contrast between rose gold, emeralds and diamonds.

The Bvlgari High Jewelry necklace in 18-carat rose gold, featuring two buff-top emeralds and pavé diamonds, encircled the neck with a flexible, contemporary geometry. The distinctive cut of the emeralds, poised between a polished surface and a faceted structure, gave the gemstones remarkable visual depth.

Completing the look was a Serpenti Viper bracelet in rose gold, set with two cabochon-cut emeralds and pavé diamonds. The two creations shared the same enveloping rhythm, evoking the serpent’s movement without representing it literally.

Marion Cotillard, the lightness of Plume de CHANEL

For Marion Cotillard, CHANEL High Jewelry turned to one of the most poetic motifs in its history: the feather.

The actress wore a Plume de CHANEL necklace in 18-carat white gold and diamonds, crafted with 242 stones. The creation draws inspiration from the feather motif and its inherent mobility, first explored in the 1932 “Bijoux de Diamants” collection—the first and only High Jewelry collection personally designed by Gabrielle Chanel.

The necklace interprets the feather as a living, ethereal and daring form, designed to follow the body and reflect light with every movement. It expresses an idea of preciousness far removed from rigidity, founded instead on lightness and freedom of movement.

For another appearance in Venice, the actress explored the more graphic side of the House through creations from CHANEL Watches and Fine Jewelry.

She wore the PREMIÈRE GALON watch, featuring an 18K yellow gold case, a black-lacquered dial and an 18K yellow gold crown set with an onyx cabochon. Its rigid bracelet, also crafted in yellow gold, reinterprets the braided trim that Gabrielle Chanel used to define the edges, pockets and cuffs of her suits, structuring the silhouette through a distinctly graphic detail. With its gold bangle bracelet, black dial and high-precision quartz movement, the watch represents the most jewel-like expression within the PREMIÈRE family.

The look was completed by a single COCO CRUSH earring clip in 18K BEIGE GOLD, 18K white gold and diamonds, together with mini COCO CRUSH rings in white and yellow gold with diamonds.

At the heart of these creations is the quilted motif, closely associated with Gabrielle Chanel and emblematic of the 2.55 handbag. Since entering the vocabulary of CHANEL Fine Jewelry in 2015, the motif has become one of the House’s most recognizable signatures. Incisions carved directly into the gold combine softness and precision, transforming a familiar texture into a sculptural jewelry code.

Cartier, between heritage, nature and geometry

Cartier made its presence felt throughout the Festival by bringing together historic pieces, High Jewelry creations and contemporary icons of the Maison.

Kate Mara wore an Écharpe necklace from the Cartier Collection, dating back to 1950 and crafted from gold wire, twisted gold, platinum and brilliant-cut diamonds. An archival jewel that brought the fluidity and elegance of the mid-20th century to the red carpet.

Laura Dern chose Reflection de Cartier earrings in 18-carat white gold and diamonds, paired with a Faune et Flore de Cartier necklace in white gold, emeralds and diamonds, featuring a transformable element that could also be worn as a brooch.

The same nature-inspired collection took center stage in Leslie Bibb’s look. She wore Reflection de Cartier earrings in white gold and diamonds, together with a Faune et Flore ring in white gold, onyx, sapphires, aquamarines, dumortierite quartz and diamonds.

Marina Ruy Barbosa offered an even more elaborate interpretation, wearing Faune et Flore de Cartier earrings in white gold, emeralds and diamonds, together with a necklace and bracelet in white gold set with onyx, sapphires, aquamarines, chalcedonies and diamonds.

Benedetta Porcaroli also embraced Cartier’s imaginative vision of nature with a Faune et Flore necklace in 18-carat white gold, onyx, chrysoprases, rubellites, tsavorites, emeralds and diamonds: a complex mineral palette capable of transforming the jewel into a miniature precious landscape.

The panther takes center stage

Among the most recognizable presences on the Venetian red carpet, the Panthère de Cartier could not be absent.

Virna Toppi wore stud earrings, a necklace, a bracelet and two Panthère de Cartier rings, all crafted in 18-carat white gold with emeralds, onyx and diamonds.

Jeon Do-yeon chose a white gold interpretation of the same icon. Her Panthère de Cartier earrings, crafted in 18K white gold with emeralds, onyx and diamonds, were paired with a matching ring featuring the same combination of materials. The brilliance of the diamonds, the intensity of the onyx and the green accents of the emeralds brought the panther’s features into sharp, sophisticated focus.

Greta Scarano combined different codes of the Maison. Clash de Cartier earrings and a ring in rose gold and onyx were paired with a second Clash ring in yellow gold and a Panthère de Cartier ring in 18-carat yellow gold, tsavorite garnets and onyx. A free and contemporary combination, built around the contrast between Clash’s geometric rhythm and the panther’s feline sensuality.

For another appearance, the actress placed Panthère de Cartier firmly at the center of the look. She wore an articulated torque necklace in 18K yellow gold, embellished with lacquer, onyx and tsavorite garnets. Its sculptural construction followed the neckline while preserving the supple, alert presence associated with the Maison’s emblematic animal.

She completed the ensemble with two Panthère de Cartier rings: one in yellow gold with diamonds, onyx and emeralds, and another in 18K yellow gold with tsavorite garnets and lacquer. Together, the creations offered a vivid interpretation of the panther through color, movement and precious detail.

Penélope Cruz reaches for the Stars in Chanel High Jewelry

Penélope Cruz illuminated the Venetian red carpet in a celestial selection from CHANEL High Jewelry’s “Reach for the Stars” collection. The actress wore the BE THE ONE earrings, crafted in 18-carat white gold and set with 320 diamonds. Their airy, radiant silhouette evokes a beam of sunlight while recalling the comet motif that has illuminated the Maison’s creations since Gabrielle Chanel’s revolutionary Bijoux de Diamants collection of 1932. For Mademoiselle, the comet was an “eternally modern” symbol—an invitation to freedom and to the belief in one’s own lucky star.

Completing the look was the extraordinary SKY IS THE LIMIT ring, fashioned in white and yellow gold and crowned with an 11.11-carat emerald-cut yellow diamond. The central stone is framed by two sculpted lion heads, revealed only upon closer inspection—a subtle tribute to Gabrielle Chanel’s astrological sign and to one of the most powerful emblems in her creative vocabulary. Celestial light and leonine strength came together in a composition that transformed exceptional stones into a deeply personal expression of CHANEL’s enduring symbolism.