If diamonds are a girl's best friend, then Bulgari diamonds are every movie star's best friend. We're talking grand Italian stars of the 50s and 60s like Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, and Elizabeth Taylor, who bought diamonds from the Roman jeweler without a second thought.

Now their diamonds and countless others are on display at the Grand Palais in Paris with the exhibit "Bulgari: 125 Years of Italian Magnificence" which showcases 603 jewels from serpent watches to jeweled flower bouquets to lavish gemstones. 

On display, Elizabeth Taylor's 1962 emerald and diamond necklace in platine with detachable pendant brooch.  In fact, the grand dame has an entire room devoted to her private collection. 

Also showcased, clips from the movies where those movie stars wore their Bulgari diamonds on overhead screens. Photographs of the era abound with actresses proudly flaunting that glinting gemstones at events. 

The exhibit tells a story of how diamonds came to Rome as well as Bulgari's own story of growth and development as a diamond company.  It stars with silver created by Greek-born Sotiris Boulgaris in the 19th century after he settled in Rome in 1881.  This became the basis for the "codes" of Bulgari. 

The 1920s and 1930s are highlighted by platinum and diamonds as well as Bulgari's signature piece, the "Trombino," which is a trumpet ring. It's a band of pave set diamonds with baguette diamonds supporting a tablecut gemstone.
The 1940s were marked by the founder's sons who created a Bulgari flagship store in Rome's Via Condotti, which was flanked by yellow-gold pieces.  The 1950s brought jeweled flowers. 

Bulgari's driving looks, according to the exhibit's curator, include colored sapphires and red rubies, such as the one worn my Italian film star Anna Magnani. Begum Aga Khan added turquoise to the collection and Revlon founder Charles Revson's wife offered a turquoise "bib" necklace, amethyst and emerald set in diamonds.

The Bulgari client, according to exhibit creators, are self-confident and a bit more bold. 

Sixty percent of the Paris exhibit is made up of private loans.  Still, some, like the Grimaldi family of Monaco, are fretful to part with their diamonds.  According to the NY Times, the museum's curator says this "suggests an emotional attachment to Buglari that resonates through the show." 

The exhibit will move to Beijing and Shanghai next year.

 

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