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A pair of natural pearl and diamond pendants. ($600,000-1,000,000).

Screen legend Gina Lollobrigida’s jewels will be sold at Sotheby’s in Geneva on May 14.  The auction will feature important Bulgari jewels from the 1950s and 1960s, worn by Miss Lollobrigida at landmark moments in her career and which were highlights of the international touring exhibition, Bulgari – 125 Years of Italian Magnificence in 2009-2012. Part of the proceeds from the sale of 22 Bulgari Masterpieces will benefit stem cell research.  Highlights include a pair of natural pearl and diamond pendant earrings made in 1964 ($600,000-1 million) and a 1954 dimaond necklace/bracelet combination ($300,000-500,000).

Commenting on the sale, Gina Lollobrigida said: “I have been lucky enough to be given many roles in life – as an actor, a mother, a photojournalist, an Ambassador for FAO, and as an artist. I began collecting jewels from Bulgari in the 1950s and 1960s, drawn by the wonderful craftsmanship and distinctive style of these pieces. They accompanied me on many journeys – both professional and personal – and are redolent of those times and the extraordinary people I met along the way. These days I am focussing my time on my career as a sculptor. After more than 65 years I have come full circle, returning to the skills I first learned at the Fine Arts Academy in Rome. A sculptor has little need for jewels, and so, I have decided the time is right to share them with other collectors. In so doing, I can also help a cause very close to my heart, that of stem cell research – treatment, which I believe should be freely available to every child. It is my wish that part of the proceeds from the sale will contribute to help fund an international hospital for stem cell research.”

Born in 1927 in Subiaco, Italy she became one of the best-known and most popular screen stars in the world, with a film career spanning Italy and France and Hollywood in the 1950’s and ’60’s. In 1953 she made her first American film – Beat the Devil, directed by John Huston and starring opposite Humphrey Bogart and Jennifer Jones. Many other leading roles followed, in movies including Trapeze, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Solomon and Sheba and Never so Few. Lollobrigida played opposite major stars of the day including Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Antony Quinn, Yul Brynner and Frank Sinatra. In 1961 she was awarded a Golden Globe (as World Film Favourite – Female) for her role in the romantic comedy Come September with Rock Hudson.

A diamond necklace/bracelet combination, Bulgari, 1954 ($300,000-500,000.)

A pair of emerald and diamond earclips, Bulgari, 1964. Each earclip suspends a detachable pendant set to the centre with a pear-shaped emerald ($150,000-250,000).

An emerald and diamond ring, weighing 16.62 carats, estimated at $120,000-180,000, as worn by Miss Lollobrigida on a daily basis.

THE auction of the Benson Collection of Early Spoons at Christie’s in London on June 4 offers collectors a chance to acquire rare historical spoons with an impeccable pedigree.  Previously exhibited at a stand alone display at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford this is the greatest array of early spoons to be offered at auction for many decades.

Leading the sale is the Benson Wodewose spoon – one of only four Henry VI spoons known to survive with a wodewose, or wild man, depicted on the finial.  The wodewose was a wild, satyr like mythical figure that appeared from the 12th cnetury in artwork and literature.  The spoon is estimated at £40,000-60,000.  The spoons were collected over many years by dealer and advisor Mrs. G.E.P. How (née Benson) and estimates range from £700 to £250,000.  The sale is expected to bring in more than £500,000. (Click on any image to enlarge it).

Benson Wodewose spoon Henry VI. One of only four known to survive (£40,000- £60,000). Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2013.

Wodewose spoon, detail. Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2013.

Diamond-Point spoon. Edward III, circa 1350. Struck with one of the earliest known representations of the leopard’s head, the first English hallmark. (£30,000-50,000). Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2013.

Acorn-Knop spoon circa 12th/13th century. Believed to be the only spoon of this type (£8,000 – £12,000). Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2013.