Christie's to auction Claudia Cardinale's Bulgari jewels in Paris sale

Christie’s will put about 20 pieces from Claudia Cardinale’s personal jewelry collection into its Joaillerie Paris online sale from June 19 to 26, led by a Bulgari Serpenti bracelet-watch from around 1965 estimated at 150,000 to 250,000 euros. This is not the kind of sale for someone shopping for a generic diamond bracelet. It is for the buyer who wants a jewel with a name, a screen legacy and enough midcentury glamour to feel like a story as much as an object.

The timing adds to the appeal. The auction lands just weeks after a tribute to Cardinale at the Cannes Film Festival and 65 years after her first Cannes red-carpet appearance in 1961. Cardinale, who died in September 2025 at 87, was one of the major stars of Italian and international cinema, with credits that include The Leopard, 8½ and The Pink Panther. That history makes the jewels feel less like inventory and more like artifacts from one of Europe’s most elegant eras.

The Serpenti watch is the clear hero lot. Trade coverage describes it as a bracelet-watch with blue and white enamel and pear-shaped sapphires as the eyes, exactly the kind of Bulgari piece that collectors recognize instantly. It is the best choice for the buyer who wants a gift with instant conversation value, whether that is for a serious jewelry collector, a fashion insider or someone who already owns the usual fine jewelry staples and wants something with a little more theater.

The rest of the selection keeps that mood going. Christie’s says the collection includes pieces from Bulgari, Buccellati, Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier, all names that reinforce Cardinale’s long association with Dolce Vita-era glamour. Other highlighted lots include a Bulgari ring with an oval cabochon ruby and diamond frame estimated at up to 100,000 euros, a Bulgari sapphire ring estimated at up to 80,000 euros and a Bulgari Trombino emerald ring estimated at up to 80,000 euros. The ruby ring reads bold and confident, the sapphire ring is the quieter classic, and the emerald Trombino has the strongest vintage punch.

Christie’s exhibited the collection in Geneva from May 7 to 13 and will show it in Paris from June 19 to 26. For buyers who want gifts with provenance rather than just polish, this sale offers the rare combination of famous ownership, recognizable design and the kind of history that cannot be made to order.