Marina Bulgari

The Challenge

At the time, purchasing high-value jewelry online was still uncommon. Trust, security, payment processing, and international logistics were significant barriers, especially for a clientele accustomed to private showrooms and personal relationships.

The challenge was multifaceted:

• Create a digital environment worthy of a heritage luxury brand

• Enable high-value transactions with confidence and discretion

• Respect the habits and expectations of high net worth individuals

• Preserve the feeling of a private showroom in a public medium

• Build technical infrastructure capable of processing large orders

• Navigate the complexity of international shipping and customs

This was not a conventional e-commerce problem. It was a behavioral and experiential one. The product was not just jewelry. The product was trust.

Discovery

Discovery focused on understanding how wealthy clients actually shop. Not how e-commerce platforms assume they do, but how high net worth individuals behave when making meaningful purchases.

We studied:

• How collectors research before buying

• How trust is established without physical presence

• Why discretion matters more than speed

• Where traditional checkout flows feel inappropriate

• How storytelling influences perceived value

We also explored the brand’s internal reality. Without a website, Marina Bulgari relied entirely on physical showrooms and personal relationships. The digital space was not yet part of the business model.

This project was about opening that door carefully.

The Breakthrough

The defining insight was that the website could not behave like a store. It needed to behave like a curated archive.

The breakthrough came with the story timeline feature. Rather than pushing products forward immediately, the site first situates the visitor inside Marina Bulgari’s history and influence. It establishes context, authorship, and legacy before any transaction is invited.

The timeline became the backbone of the experience. It framed the jewelry not as inventory, but as cultural artifacts shaped by decades of vision and craftsmanship.

Once that narrative was in place, commerce could exist without feeling transactional.

Digital Experience and Technical Architecture

Platform and Stack

We built a custom website on Shopify. While Shopify is often associated with mass-market commerce, it provided the payment processing reliability required for large purchase orders. This allowed the brand to accept high-value transactions securely while maintaining flexibility in presentation.

Payment and Security

High pricing introduced immediate concerns around fraud prevention, processing limits, and buyer confidence. We implemented payment integrations capable of handling large orders and built clear trust signals into the experience.

International shipping presented unresolved complexities around customs clearance. Instead of forcing a brittle solution, we designed a concierge service for large orders. International clients could initiate purchases digitally, while Marina Bulgari’s team personally handled logistics and fulfillment.

This hybrid model mirrored how luxury clients already expect to be treated.

Performance and Media Handling

Photography was central to the experience. High-resolution imagery was essential, but performance could not suffer. We coordinated closely with the photography studio to produce web-ready assets without compromising quality. Third-party compression tools were used to ensure fast load times while preserving visual integrity.

Content Structure

The site was structured around the Trisolina legacy collection, alongside featured collections that balanced popular releases with limited series. The information architecture guided visitors through narrative first, product second.

Design Decisions

The visual language reflected the physical showroom environment. Deep blue, white, and grey tones echoed the interior spaces. Generous whitespace, controlled pacing, and deliberate hierarchy allowed each piece to be revealed slowly.

Nothing rushed the visitor. Nothing shouted.

Collaboration and Process

As a heritage luxury brand, Marina Bulgari’s internal team played a significant role in approvals and direction. Métisse acted as both creative and technical consultants, ensuring feasibility without compromising craft.

Velocity came from clarity. Decisions were grounded in a shared understanding that restraint was a feature, not a limitation.

Results

The launch marked Marina Bulgari’s first true digital presence.

The website:

• Enabled direct online purchasing for the first time

• Connected Instagram storytelling directly to the storefront

• Expanded the brand’s reach beyond the geographic limits of a showroom

• Became a critical revenue channel during COVID

• Allowed the internal team to leverage technology confidently

What began as an exploration became essential infrastructure. The digital showroom was no longer optional. It became foundational.

Legacy

This project demonstrated that luxury does not disappear online when handled with care. It transforms.

Marina Bulgari’s digital presence preserved discretion, elevated storytelling, and respected the habits of its audience. It proved that high-value commerce can exist without urgency, and that technology can serve heritage rather than dilute it.

The site remains a testament to how thoughtful design and intentional engineering can extend legacy into new mediums.

Client Testimonial

“Métisse thoroughly walked us through their process, mapping out success metrics and aligning decisions with long-term goals. Their thoughtful approach elevated our brand standards and helped set the foundation for future growth.”

Why This Project Matters to Métisse

This project sharpened our understanding of luxury, restraint, and behavioral design. It reinforced that technical complexity is often secondary to human nuance. The real work lies in understanding how people with means, history, and expectations move through digital spaces.

Marina Bulgari taught us that the highest form of design is not expression. It is respect.