Culture & Style
Nothing Competes with Sophia Loren’s Bombshell Diamonds
By Hannah Militano, Published: September 19, 2025
On her 91st birthday, we’re looking back on Sophia Loren’s most dazzling La Dolce Vita diamonds. The Old Hollywood icon defined the classic glamour of the mid-century, with jewelry as stunning as she is.
Italian actress Sophia Loren, circa 1965. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
One of the most iconic movie stars in cinematic history, Sophia Loren has built an inimitable acting career, shifting smoothly between major Hollywood productions and Italian-based films.
Born Sofia Scicolone in Rome on September 20, 1934, Loren was raised in Naples before entering the “Queen of the Sea” beauty pageant. Though she did not win, one of her prizes included a train ticket to the city of Rome, where she found stardom.
Since her acting debut in 1950, she has captivated audiences with her transformation on screen as the sultry Epifania Parerga in The Millionairess, triumphed at the Oscars and BAFTA Awards for her dramatic role in Two Women, and stolen the spotlight in couture and diamonds at notable film festivals like Venice and Cannes.
Meet the Author
- Hannah Militano covers diamond jewelry trends, the fashion industry, pop culture, and celebrity news.
- She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
- As a journalist, her work has been featured in publications such as Editorialist, Carine Roitfeld’s CR Fashion Book, L’Officiel USA, Grazia USA, Coveteur, and more.
The Italian siren crafted a singular bombshell image for herself. Her dramatic hourglass figure, feline cat eye makeup, and bouncy brunette blowout were only amplified by her collection of bodacious diamond jewelry. Loren has long adorned herself with dazzling jewels that accentuate her legendary beauty. Drawn to bold, statement-making designs, she has often been seen in extraordinary diamond necklaces, earrings, and rings from storied jewelry houses, including Bulgari, Marina B, Cartier, and Damiani.
In 1960, a devastating theft struck Loren’s collection when jewels worth $250,000 were stolen from a cottage in England, where she was staying during the filming of her celebrated romantic comedy The Millionairess. The stolen trove reportedly included three complete parures of diamonds, emeralds, and rubies, carefully stored in a leather case tucked inside a chest of drawers.
Authorities believed the theft to have taken place while Loren was meeting her husband, Carlo Ponti, at the airport. While no one was ever charged, many pointed the finger at notorious thief Sidney Cugullere. Bulgari’s own Lucia Boscaini told Tatler, “Much of Loren’s stolen jewelry had been from Bulgari. Something I find particularly moving is that Loren’s most important jewel was given to her by Ponti. He gave her a fabulous Bulgari necklace for her birthday while she was filming It Started in Naples (1960) in Capri.”
Considered one of the last surviving stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age, the Italian actress turns 91 years old on September 20. In celebration of her birthday, feast your eyes on Sophia Loren’s 10 most dazzling diamond jewelry moments throughout the years.
Sophia Loren Wore a Diamond Tiara at the Tivoli Theater in 1954
Sophia Loren wore a diamond tiara for the opening night of the Italian Film Festival at the Tivoli Theatre in London in 1954. The starlet wore a strapless beaded Emilio Schuberth gown with a white fur stole, pearl and diamond drop earrings, and her tiara, which featured three rounded rows of diamonds and bejeweled floral motifs on either side.
That same evening, Loren had the pleasure of meeting Queen Elizabeth II for the first time and even made a little faux pas. In her enthusiasm, the actress broke a royal rule of etiquette: in the presence of the Queen, only Her Majesty and working royals are permitted to wear a diadem.
In her 1983 memoir, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: My Life, she wrote about the experience. “I had chosen a small, jeweled headband, a diadem. Although I was growing up, I was still a young girl who, in her heart, aspired to being a queen. Unfortunately, however, the person receiving us really was a queen, Elizabeth, and royal etiquette demanded that no crown could be worn before a member of the royal house. The Queen didn’t seem to be bothered by it, but the following day the newspapers had a field day publishing some of the most striking and imaginative titles.”
Sophia Loren Wore a Diamond Statement Necklace to the 1955 Cannes Film Festival
During the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, the Italian actress arrived at Salon des Ambassadeurs for a reception during opening night in a white lace strapless ball gown by Italian “tailor of the stars” Emilio Schuberth. She teamed her ensemble with elegant opera gloves and a head-turning natural diamond swirling statement necklace, featuring drop emeralds.
Sophia Loren Wore a Diamond Loop Collar with Jayne Mansfield in 1957
One of the most iconic images of Old Hollywood, many credit the photographs from this evening as the first documented instance of side-eye. Sophia Loren and Jayne Mansfield attended a stylish soirée at Romanoff’s in Beverly Hills. The party was intended to officially welcome Loren into the Hollywood fold after massive success in Europe. Throughout the evening, Loren was spotted glancing at Mansfield’s exposed décolletage.
She told Entertainment Weekly, “I’m so frightened that everything in her dress is going to blow – BOOM! – and spill all over the table.” The famed photo shows Loren wearing a black halter dress with rhinestone straps, her go-to diamond loop collar necklace, and pear-shaped diamond drop earrings, while Mansfield wore a slinky gown, plunging gown and sparkling fringe dangling earrings.
Sophia Loren Wore a Diamond Loop Collar to the 1958 Venice Film Festival
Sophia Loren’s 1958 Venice Film Festival diamond jewelry and attire caught everyone’s eye. Wearing a white gown and stunning diamond loop collar, Loren went on to win Best Actress for her portrayal of a gangster’s widow in the drama The Black Orchid.
Sophia Loren Went Shopping for Diamonds at Cartier in 1959
In March 1959, while promoting The Kind of Woman, Sophia Loren indulged in a sparkling shopping spree at Cartier’s Paris boutique. She tried on some of the maison’s most extravagant diamond creations, including an unforgettable necklace composed of five diamond panels with emerald drops and a coordinating bracelet. One photograph from the visit shows Loren playfully holding up a diamond choker, her elegance rivaled only by the jewels themselves.
Sophia Loren Wore Jewels from the Collection of the King of Nepal in 1962
In 1962, Sophia Loren posed in enormous diamonds from the collection of the King of Nepal, lensed by photographer François Pages. The actress wore a glistening tiara, featuring an antique pear-shaped diamond of nearly 57 carats. Loren also sported a diamond and emerald floral cluster necklace, which reportedly included 83 diamonds, weighing 150.49 carats. She completed the look with diamond and emerald earrings with an impressive 49.64-carat moval-shaped diamond ring.
Sophia Loren Wore Floral Diamond Brooches to the 1966 Cannes Film Festival
While serving as President of the Jury at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival, Sophia Loren captivated the Croisette in a vivid kelly green shift dress with two glittering floral diamond brooches pinned to her shoulder.
Sophia Loren Wore Stunning Diamonds to Receive the Key to New York in 1966
Sophia Loren received the key to New York from Mayor John Lindsay in 1966, wearing some serious diamond jewels. The star wore a draped black gown with a ruby ring with a large diamond halo, a stack of diamond and gemstone bracelets, scalloped diamond drop earrings, and a massive diamond necklace with a pear-shaped diamond pendant.
Sophia Loren Wore a Trove of Diamond Jewels with Grace Kelly for the 1969 “Diner de Têtes” at the Monte Carlo Casino
In 1969, Sophia Loren attended the glittering Dîner de Têtes costume ball, hosted by Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco, to mark the inauguration of the Hall of the Americas in the newly renovated Monte Carlo Casino. The Italian actress committed to the exuberant dress code with a sheer lace black gown and an outrageous, towering blue headdress. Her diamonds matched the drama. Loren wore dangling diamond earrings, a giant pear-shaped diamond ring, and a knotted diamond cluster necklace.
Sophia Loren Wore Fred Leighton Jewels to the 1999 Oscars
To present the Academy Award for Best Actor to Roberto Benigni in 1999, Loren wore two rows of diamonds on her neck, courtesy of jeweler Fred Leighton. The Italian superstar paired the resplendent necklace with pear-shaped diamond drop earrings.
