Claudia Cardinale's Jewelry is Arriving on the Auction Block

The Pink Panther star's impressive collection will be sold in Paris in June.

A 1964 image of Claudia Cardinale wearing a diamond necklace of undetermined provence, left, and the circa-1965 Bulgari Serpenti jewelry watch that was part of late actress's collection; both pieces are set to be auctioned in Paris June 19-26.

"Claudia, along with spaghetti, you're Italy's greatest invention."

That now-iconic compliment came from David Niven, who co-starred with Claudia Cardinale in 1963's The Pink Panther, undeniably among the most stylish films of that decade, with costumes designed by Yves Saint Laurent for Cardinale and fellow co-star Capucine. The Blake Edwards-directed comedy may also be among the early projects that exposed Cardinale to the pleasures of wearing spectacular jewels, with Van Cleef & Arpels custom-designing a headpiece that her character, a princess accustomed to wearing priceless gems, wears in the film.

David Niven and Claudia Cardinale in a publicity photo for 1963's The Pink Panther.

Over the years Cardinale — who died in September 2025 at the age of 87 — amassed an impressive collection of jewelry from Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, Buccellati and other coveted labels, and now those pieces are arriving on the auction block. From June 19-26 in Paris, auction house Christie's is handling the sale of roughly 20 designs from those and other houses, including a selection of watches by Cartier. A portion of the proceeds from the sale will benefit the France-based Fondazione Claudia Cardinale; founded in 2023 by the actress and her daughter, Claudia Squitieri, the foundation offers programs that support young women working in the visual arts.

"My mother is as much a part of cinema history as she is of my personal life. Today, I proudly bear her name and carry on the Fondazione that we created together, as part of a matrilineal transmission," Squitieri, whose father was the late Italian director and screenwriter Pasquale Squitieri, said in a statement. "The sale of her jewelry will naturally help to support women artists in their creative journeys, thereby perpetuating the energy that Claudia instilled into the Fondazione."

Cardinale was born in Tunisia to parents of Sicilian heritage and in 1957 was named "The Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia," a contest she initially had no plans to enter, instead merely accompanying a friend who wanted to take part in the pageant. But a contest official spotted her in the audience and insisted Cardinale also enter. When she won, what did first prize include? A trip to the Venice Film Festival, where her striking beauty caught the attention of film producers, and Cardinale's career was born.

She appeared in more than 175 films throughout her career, though it's undeniable that 1963 was a highlight year of Cardinale's career — in addition to The Pink Panther, she also starred in Luchino Visconti's Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) and Federico Fellini's 8-1/2. Other notable films include Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West in 1968 and 1982's Fitzcarraldo, directed by Werner Herzog.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the 1960s also became known as a high-wattage decade for Bulgari, with Cardinale among the legendary actresses who favored the house's jewels, a for-the-ages roster that also includes Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Monica Vitti and Cardinale's 8-1/2 co-star, Anita Ekberg, all of whom were eagerly photographed by paparazzi when they arrived at the jeweler's boutique at 10 Via Condotti, where it still stands today.

Three Bulgari rings in the auction, each featuring a cabochon-cut center stone — from left, a sapphire, an emerald and a ruby — that is surrounded by diamonds and set in platinum.

Bulgari forms a substantial part of the jewels in the Cardinale auction, from a selection of rings that showcase substantial gemstones to a watch that quickly has become the star of the auction, a circa-1965 jewelry timepiece from Bulgari's legendary Serpenti collection, crafted of 18-karat yellow gold laden with turquoise and white enamel and embellished with pear-shaped sapphires as the snake's eyes, while the manual-wind dial is by Vacheron Constantin, among the brands that provided Bulgari with watch movements before it officially debuted in-house mechanical movements in 2010. The trio of rings carry auction estimates ranging from 50,000 to 80,000 euros each, while the watch is estimated to bring between 150,000 and 200,000 euros.

Early 20th-century butterfly brooch by Buccellati

Another highlight of the sale reflects Cardinale's love of Buccellati, the Italian house known for its delicate, lace-like metalwork. Estimated to date from the early 20th century, a Buccellati butterfly brooch in gold is embellished with diamonds, rubies and sapphires in a variety of hues, all surrounded by enamelwork. The brooch carries an auction estimate of 20,000 to 30,000 euros. From that same era, a diamond necklace from undetermined provenance and featuring old and rose-cut diamonds is also part of the sale and is expected to fetch between 10,000 and 15,000 euros.

The sale of Cardinale's pieces has been positioned as the highlight of Christie's Joaillerie Paris event, an online auction that kicks off June 16. Visit christies.com for more information.

A 1974 photo of Claudia Cardinale wearing both the Buccellati butterfly brooch as a pendant and the Bulgari Serpenti watch.