Unlock her story life and jewels of Italian bombshell Gina Lollobrigida

Did you know there was an actress who didn't just wear diamonds, she went to the mines where they were born? And not only that, she returned with a rough diamond, gifted personally by one of the most powerful men in the diamond world. That actress was none other than Gina Lalo-Brigida. But here is the most surprising thing, she wasn't meant to wear these jewels but the reality made changes into her life, every time pushing her beyond the limits. So today, we're unlocking not just her jewels but the story behind them. And before we continue, hit the subscribe button to help us develop our community of jewelry admirers. Before she became one of the most iconic faces of European cinema, Gina had a completely different dream. She wanted to be an artist. Born in 1927 in Subiaco, Italy, she studied sculpture and fine arts, imagining a life dedicated to shaping stone, not standing in front of cameras. But life had other plans. After World War II, her family struggled financially. And suddenly, her artistic ambitions collided with a harsh reality, continue her studies or find a way to survive. Reluctantly, she entered beauty contests, not out of ambition, but necessity. And it worked, taking a third place at the Miss Italy competition. Her striking features and natural presence quickly caught attention. Small film roles followed, then more. And before she could fully return to sculpture, cinema had already chosen her. That's why she was often called the actress by mistake. By the 1950s, Gina Lalo-Brigida had become one of Europe's most celebrated actresses. Her breakthrough came with films like Fan Fan La Tulipe, Bread, Love and Dreams, Solomon and Queen Sheba, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, where she played Esmeralda. She was fondly nicknamed La Lolo, embodying the prototype of Italian beauty in the 1950s and 60s, with her fluffy hairdo eventually serving as an inspiration for naming a curly lettuce as Lalo. And that's crazy, isn't it? Interestingly, Gina never set out to become a jewelry collector. Jewelry entered her life for a very practical reason, the red carpet. In the golden age of cinema, appearances mattered. And standing next to actresses like Elizabeth Taylor, who famously adored extraordinary jewels, meant one thing, you had to shine. So Gina turned to a house that reflected her identity, and it was Italy's native Bulgari. During the 1950s and 60s, Bulgari was redefining jewelry, bold gemstones, unexpected color combinations, cabochon cuts instead of traditional faceting. The Maison became known as the jeweler to the sirens of Italian cinematography. The rich colors of the jewels and their brazen opulence exude an air of dolce vita, and a captivating scent of extravagance when women wore priceless jewelry with a mesmerizing glance. So did Gina, who once told in the interview that she was never meant to act, never meant to wear these jewels at all. If she had become a sculptor, she would travel the world and buy ethnic jewelry she likes to mark the moment, but never the luxury pieces. But Bulgari became a part of her new identity, Italian glamour. Lalo Brigida, or simply La Lola, frequently accessorized herself with striking diamond designs from the Roman jeweler, including her most famous piece, a pair of natural pearl and diamond pendant earrings made around 1964 and worn on numerous public occasions, including to meet Princess Margaret at the Taming of the Shrew premiere in London in 1967. And then La Lola demonstrated her personal jewel at the movie Come September, wearing a white lace wedding dress and an intricate hair ornament. But it wasn't just a luxury piece. It carried a history. As it was shared by the jeweler, two large pearls were once part of the Habsburg crown worn by Empress Zita. Gina began wearing the pearl earrings usually suspended from a pair of Bulgari diamond surmounts, making them adjustable to match with different top elements. Once, she matched earrings with the large diamond and pearl tiara, stating the headpiece was so heavy she won't wear it anymore. And indeed, we never saw it again, leaving us guess if this tiara was on the loan or from her personal collection. She would wear beloved earrings till 2012, often matching with her most glittering convertible jewel. It was her diamond necklace and bracelet combination by Bulgari, worn to receive the Golden Globe for World Film Favorite, that made her jewelry image sparkle forever. A platinum and diamond necklace with a scroll motif and matching bracelet, created by Bulgari in 1954 during the height of its post-war renaissance, was one of her favorites. And for a reason. Gina herself demonstrated the bracelet's adaptability in the 1964 movie Woman of Straw, where she wore the jewel in its regal form, shining in the $36,000 Christian Dior jewel-encrusted evening gown that was created specifically for this movie. The bracelet was cleverly designed to function as a tiara, which looks gorgeous even in comparison to royal jewels. But Gina's connection to jewels didn't stop at wearing them. She wanted to understand them. And that curiosity led her somewhere no actress had gone before. At a time when few celebrities ventured beyond luxury boutiques, Gina did something completely unexpected. She traveled to diamond mines. There, she witnessed the origin of the stones she had worn on red carpets. The dust. The labor. The transformation from rough crystal to polished brilliance. On the day when Lalo Brigida visited the Kimberley Mine in South Africa, where the ninth-largest diamond in the world was discovered, Harry Oppenheimer gave her a knuckle-sized piece of stone. A rough diamond. Later, she had the base shaped like a heart, with a six-carat rough in the middle that draws attention. And upon closer examination, the pendant is carved from kimberlite, which holds an octahedron-shaped, flawless, rough diamond. Not a finished jewel. Not a polished masterpiece. But a beginning. A symbol of where beauty truly starts. And that says everything about Gina. She wasn't interested only in the final sparkle. She wanted the story behind it. Nevertheless, she already had a large diamond bauble to carry on her finger. A Bulgari ring, set with a cushion-shaped diamond weighing 19.03 carats. And it was enough for her. Clearly in her life, she wore only several rings, including this beautiful emerald ring from the emerald Demi Perure. One of the most fascinating aspects of her career is how jewelry followed her into film. In her role as Pauline Bonaparte, Gina wore elaborate cinematic jewels, pieces designed to reflect Napoleon-era luxury. But here's what makes this extraordinary. Some of these pieces were not just props. They were created with real materials and craftsmanship, with values estimated in the millions, around $2 million at the time. Even in fiction, her jewelry carried real weight. And if there is one more woman apart from Elizabeth Taylor who loved emeralds, it was Gina. This Bulgari Seven Wonders Colombian Emerald Necklace was made in 1961. In the late 50s, the necklace had nine stones, later reduced to the present seven. And La Lolo was famously loaned this piece for her Venice Film Festival in 1962, when she was working on the movie Imperial Venus. Hence, she wanted to create an image to suit the character. And she paired the emerald necklace with the satin dress she designed herself, her personal emerald ring, and hair ornaments to create the divine image. By that time, the necklace was so valuable, she had 10 bodyguards to follow her around and separate from the crowd. But here is a fascinating fact, which I adore. When Gina decided to auction off her jewels, including her emerald earrings she wore throughout her acting career, Bulgari managed to purchase them from Sotheby's, adding to the Seven Wonders Necklace, finally completing a jewelry perure, once worn by the star. The earrings are made of two pear-shaped 21-carat Colombian emeralds, enhanced by 67 diamonds of various sizes totaling 26.5 carats, all set in platinum. The earrings had a perfect match, 27.57-carat emerald and diamond pendant brooch, designed in the same style, making a demi-perure with the emerald ring. The brooch was a key piece in her collection, frequently worn to high-profile events such as the Corbis Monaco Ball in 1966, and often pinned to the neckline of elegant evening gowns. But here comes a jewel of mystery. She often used a brooch as a pendant for her two step-cut emerald necklaces, yet at some point they vanished from the public and were not among the jewels to be sold at Geneva. But as we remember, some of her jewels worth $18,000 were stolen from her bag as she was waiting in the hotel lobby for a taxi. Was it the case? But there was something she was trying to reach more than anything. Freedom. And the first step toward a new stage of life came when she was brought to Hollywood by tycoon Howard Hughes, but she refused his million-dollar contract, which offered everything except the respect. She didn't want to be a bird in the golden cage, and she knew what to do next. At the height of her fame, Gina made a surprising decision. She stepped away from acting. Not completely, but enough to pursue something new. Photography. She became a photojournalist, traveling the world and documenting powerful figures. Along, she would try on totally different jewelry. Her fascination extended far beyond Europe. She developed a deep appreciation for Indian jewelry, known for its color, symbolism, and intricate craftsmanship. During her travels, she engaged with leaders and artists, gathering multiple souvenirs. On return, she adorned parts of her house with elements inspired by her passion for India. Many photographed and envied the stunning mansion in Rome's exclusive Via Appian Antica. When she met Indira Gandhi as a photojournalist, she wore her favorite Indian necklace with the reverse side, which features a beautiful minikari design, and matched it both with a western attire and a sari. It was among her estate jewels, purchased in Rajasthan, and then sold to provide funds for stem cell treatment. She also once said of the Taj Mahal, you have to be on your knees and thank God there is such beauty in the world, and it was built for a woman. In the 21st century, she returned to her roots, focusing on sculpting, and was even nominated as an officer of France's Order of Arts and Letters for her work in And the best ever decision came in 2013. She auctioned off her most famous jewels to raise money for stem cell research. As she said, the sculptor doesn't need jewels, and I got them almost by mistake. The auction raised about $5 million, where pearl earrings set a record of $2.39 million. So what makes Gina Lollobrigida's jewelry story so unique? It's not just the pieces she wore. It's the way she experienced them. She began as an artist, shaping stone, then became an actress, wearing jewels, then a traveler, discovering their origins, then a storyteller, capturing people behind them. If you liked today's video, write down your thoughts and impressions. We want to hear from you. And don't forget to subscribe to follow more of our new jewelry stories. For now, shine bright and have a nice day.