Founded in Rome in 1884, the luxury fashion brand Bulgari officially broke into the international scene in 1972, opening its first boutique at The Pierre in New York City. Six years later, First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Romualdez Marcos would walk through its doors. Her shopping day, dated July 20, 1978, would see her purchasing six jewelry items, spending over one million dollars.
A receipt from the politician's shopping spree have since resurfaced online through Facebook posts. The original black-and-white image of the paper receipt was taken by photojournalist Alex Bowie on February 25, 1986—the historic night the ruling family fled to Hawaii. According to the description on Getty Images, the receipt was found in the back of the Malacañang Palace among other documents. The latest update of the photo was uploaded to Getty Images on September 1, 2021.
All the Bulgari Jewelry Purchased by Imelda Marcos, Totaling 1.431 Million USD
According to the receipt, the Marcos matriarch purchased six pieces of jewelry: a platinum and emerald bracelet, gold and diamond earclips, a diamond-studded 18-karat gold ring, a pearl necklace with platinum and diamonds, 18-karat gold earrings with rubies and various other precious stones, and a second 18-karat gold and diamond ring.
The comprehensive receipt even included special details on the precise number of diamonds, emeralds, rubies, pearls, and other ornaments present on each piece.
In total, Imelda Marcos spent exactly $1,431,000 on the above pieces. Today, this amount would be valued at approximately $7,000,000, or P409,657,500.
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