On a whistlestop in London of the world tour of 'Jewels from the Collection of Gina Lollobrigida', I caught up with Sotheby's London jewellery experts to find out first hand about these glamourous jewels belonging to the great Italian diva. The collection will be auctioned on 14 May 2013 in Geneva (read more here) and, building up anticipation, the exhibition was crowded with members of the press, who were keen to film and photograph the jewels up close.
On hand was a model with a suitably kittenish smile, who obligingly wore the lush, green Bulgari emerald and diamond earclips from 1964 and matching ring, each with a pre-sale estimate of US$150,000 to US$250,000. She also modelled a pair of natural pearl and diamond pendants from 1964 that David Bennett, Sotheby's Chairman of Jewellery, Europe and Middle East, tells us were of Hapsburg provenance. Daniela Mascetti, Sotheby's Senior Director of Jewellery, told me about Gina Lollobrigida's artistic approach to collecting jewellery, which she later expressed through her career in sculpting.
The majority of jewels in the collection are signed by Bulgari, the jeweller to the sirens of Cinecittà in the 1950s and 1960s. The rich colours of the jewels and their unabashed opulence exude an air of 'dolce vita' and whisper of an age of extravagance in which beautiful women wore priceless jewellery with a captivating insousiance.
What caught my eye, however, was what looked like a knuckle-sized lump of stone. Closer inspection revealed it was in fact a heart-shaped pendant hewn from the kimberlite in which a perfect rough diamond in the shape of an octahedron was found. The diamond was given to Ms Lollobrigida by Harry Oppenheimer on the day she visited the Kimberley Mine in South Africa, where, on the same day as her tour of the mine, the world's ninth-largest diamond was found. She later had the base sculpted into the shape of a heart with the 6ct rough in the centre.
Catch the exhibition if you can. It will be in New York from 13-16 April and then Geneva between 11-14 May. Read more about the sale on Sotheby's website by clicking here. Part of the proceeds of the sale will be donated to benefit stem cell research.
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Sold for CHF 32,500. A close-up of Gina Lollobrigida's heart-shaped pendant, carved out of the kimberlite mass in which the rough 6ct octahedron diamond was found. Part of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to benefit stem cell research.
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Gina Lollobrigida visiting the Oppenheimer Diamond mine in Kimberley, South Africa, in 1971, where she was given a 6ct diamond by Harry Oppeheimer. Copyright: Gina Lollobrigida.
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Gina Lollobrigida's heart-shaped pendant, carved out of the kimberlite mass in which the rough 6ct octahedron diamond was found. It was given to her by Harry Oppenheimer to commemorate the fact that, on the day Gina visited, the world's ninth-largest diamond was discovered in the very same mine. Sold for CHF 32,500.
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A diamond necklace/bracelet combination (bracelet not pictured) by Bulgari, 1954, worn by Miss Lollobrigida to receive her 1961 Golden Globe for World Film Favourite – Female (estimate: US$300,000-$500,000). Sold for CHF 749,000.
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A Bulgari diamond ring, set with a cushion-shaped diamond weighing 19.03ct, circa 1962 (estimate: US$600,000-$1,000,000). Sold for CHF 749,000.
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A pair of natural pearl and diamond pendants by Bulgari circa 1964, worn by Miss Lollobrigida on numerous public occasions, including to meet Princess Margaret at 'The Taming of the Shrew' premiere in London, 1967 (estimate: US$600,000-$1,000,000). Sold for CHF 2,285,000.
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Gina Lollobrigida in the Bulgari-loving 'Dolce Vita' years. An avid collector of Bulgari, her jewels were auctioned by Sotheby's Geneva on 14 May with proceeds going to stem-cell research.
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An emerald and diamond ring by Bulgari, circa 1964, set with a step-cut emerald weighing 16.62ct and framed by two rows of brilliant-cut diamonds (estimate: US$120,000-$180,000). Sold for CHF 173,000.
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A pair of emerald and diamond earclips, Bulgari, 1964. Each earclip suspends from a detachable pendant, set to the centre with a pear-shaped emerald (estimate: US$150,000-$250,000). Sold for CHF 293,000.
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An emerald and diamond brooch by Bulgari, set to the centre with a step-cut emerald weighing 27.57ct (estimate: US$150,000-$250,000; unsold).
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A gold and diamond compact, Bulgari, 1960s (estimate: US$20,000-$30,000), pictured with a coordinating Bulgari bracelet watch that will also be included in the sale. Watch sold for CHF 68,750.
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Gina Lollobrigida in New York in 1963 wearing the pair of natural pearl and diamond pendants. The sale of her jewels achieved a combined total of CHF 4,741,500 ($4,962,122) (est. CHF 1.8-3.1 million/ $1.9-3.2 million).
