In a retail climate that places a premium on unique bespoke pieces, brands must now outdo each other in creating innovative “experiential” interactions. Today, clients can learn about top notes from a leading perfumer or take a lesson in shoe care at one of Mayfair’s finest cobblers. But I’m going to partake in one of the most exclusive in-store experiences on offer: a fine jewellery masterclass at Bulgari’s lavish New Bond Street store in London.

The workshops, run twice yearly, are aimed at loyal and longstanding customers. Bulgari’s UK managing director Vincent Reynes is especially keen for the Peter Marino-designed store to become a destination not just for shopping but for exchange — a place where things happen: “to fully immerse our customer in our creative process and make dreams come true for many”. Sadly, I will not be able to keep the bespoke piece that we design. But for Bulgari clientele, creations will be produced, in the months thereafter, at the house’s workshops in Italy.

Bulgari, the Rome-based house founded by Sotirio Bulgari in 1884, is famed for its coloured gemstones and exuberant designs. In the 1960s, its store on Via Condotti became a destination (often via a secret entrance) for the film stars of the day: Monica Vitti, Gina Lollobrigida and Elizabeth Taylor were all clients. Today the house is led by creative director Lucia Silvestri, though my class is guided by Giampaolo Della Croce, Bulgari’s high jewellery senior director. Immaculately dressed in a chalk-stripe suit and violet tie, the charismatic jeweller has been a gem enthusiast since childhood, when he would go in search of rocks with his grandfather in the mountains near Milan. Today, he works with Silvestri and the rest of the Rome design team, updating them on the latest gem trends as well as liaising directly with global clients.