The Voulgaris were a silversmithing family from the Epirus region of Greece. Whether or not the Voulgaris family of Corfu and the Voulgaris family of the Italian jewelers Bulgari from Epirus share the same paternal line is unclear, but Count Stefanos Voulgaris denied that the Bulgari family of the Italian jewelers family is genealogically related to the Voulgaris family of Corfu.[7] According to chronicles of the Voulgaris family written in Venetian Corfu, the \"Voulgaris family of Saint Spyridon of Corfu\" descend from the royal figures of \"barbarian\" peoples, as Greeks used to call everybody who is not Christianized, from the Volga river, who \"finally settled in Moesia near the Balkan ? Haemus mountains, located in Bulgaria\", so the founding father of this family was described as a descendant of Prince Stefan Lazarevi? in the 16th century testament of the family, becoming such by taking refugee in the Venetian island Corfu.[8][9][7] The founder of the Bulgari brand is Sotirios Voulgaris (???????? ?????????), who was born in March 1857 and came from the Epirus Village of Paramythia, the largest Vlachophone center of silversmithing in the Balkans. He was one of eleven children of his father Georgios Voulgaris (1823?1889) and his Vlachophone Greek mother Eleni Strouggari. In 1881, Sotirios Bulgari moved to Rome and, in 1884, opened his first store on via Sistina 85. In 1888, he married Aromanian Eleni Basio with whom he had six children: Constantine-Georgios (1889?1973), Leonidas-Georgios (1890?1966), Maria-Athena (1891?1976), Sofia (1893?1908), Alexandra (1895?1984) and Spyridon (1897?1932); Leonidas-Georgios is the father of the current chairman of the company, Paolo Bulgari.[10] In 1905, he unveiled the Via Condotti shop that would become the company\'s flagship.[6] In its early years, Bulgari was known for silver pieces that borrowed elements from Byzantine and Islamic art, combining them with floral motifs. At the time, Paris was the apex of fashion and creativity, and its trends influenced Sotirio\'s designs for decades: jewels of the early 20s were characterised by platinum Art Deco settings while those of the 30s featured geometric diamond motifs?sometimes set in combination with coloured gemstones. Convertible jewels were also popular during the time, and one of Bulgari\'s major piece was the Trombino, a small trumpet-shaped ring. In 1932 Sotirio died, leaving the business to his two sons, Giorgio (1890?1966) and Costantino (1889?1973), who each had a keen interest in precious stones and jewels. During the Second World War, most new jewellery was crafted out of gold, as gems were scarce, and designs became more natural feeling. As the 1940s came to a close, Bulgari introduced Serpenti bracelet-watches.[11] Bulgari Via Condotti flagship store 1950s and 1960s: Colour revolution and Dolce Vita In the 1950s, some of Bulgari best-known clients included Elizabeth Taylor, Anna Magnani, Ingrid Bergman and Gina Lollobrigida as Rome earned a reputation as \"Hollywood on the Tiber\" with the Cinecitt? studios.[12] At the same time, Bulgari went to a new style. The post-war boom saw a return to precious materials, particularly white metals covered in diamonds. In the 1950s, Bulgari launched its first floral brooches?called en tremblant because of their trembling diamond corollas. At the end of the 1950s, Bulgari began to establish its motifs, introducing structured, symmetrical shapes in yellow gold set with brilliant gems?chosen for their colour rather than intrinsic value. Among these multi-hued jewels, cabochon cuts were another innovation. These new pieces were a significant departure from classical Parisian design. A Bulgari shop in Baku, Azerbaijan After Giorgio\'s death in 1966, his son Gianni led the company as co-chief executive with his cousin Marina.[13]