During the two days dedicated to the prestigious jewelry auction by Aste Bolaffi, held on Tuesday, October 7, 2025 in Sala Bolaffi, Turin, and on Wednesday, October 8, online, the undisputed star was Lot 277: a vintage Bulgari “Trombino” platinum ring, dating back to the early 1970s, adorned with a rare 3.18-carat pink diamond.
It is a family heirloom, passed down from grandmother to young granddaughter and worn for years. Despite the impressive size of the gem and the Bulgari signature, it had been considered by the owner a common rose quartz until all doubts were dispelled by the gemological appraisal of Aste Bolaffi’s specialists.
The diamond features a rectangular step cut and is certified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) as Natural Fancy Intense Pink, with VS2 clarity and classified as Type IIa. This type, free of nitrogen and chemically pure, is among the rarest on the planet. Moreover, the gem is accompanied by 64 round brilliant and baguette-cut diamonds totaling 1.93 carats, which complete the platinum setting. The combination of carat weight, color intensity, and type makes it an absolute rarity, scarcely found on the international market. As Matteo Armandi, head of Aste Bolaffi’s “Passion” division, highlighted: «A natural pink diamond is already a highly sought-after piece, but exceeding three carats becomes an absolute rarity. If set in a Bulgari creation, it becomes a unique item».
At auction, the “Trombino” was contested by over ten bidders connected by phone worldwide — from United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Middle Eastern countries, Hong Kong — eventually reaching the extraordinary price of €2.26 million (fees included), well above the initial estimate of €800,000–1.2 million. A result that establishes the jewel as an icon of international collecting and marks the new all-time top lot in Aste Bolaffi’s history, surpassing the record set only a few months earlier by a work of Fernand Léger.
The “Trombino” design is among Bulgari’s most famous, produced for more than fifty years in numerous variants, but this specimen stands out due to the exceptional size of the central pink gem.
The auction was not limited to this jewel: Aste Bolaffi’s catalog included nearly 530 lots, ranging from the early 1800s to the early 2000s with works from prestigious maisons such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Cusi, and Pomellato. Among the highlights were a natural Colombian emerald ring of 14.48 carats (Lot 187, starting bid €20,000), a pair of chandelier earrings in diamonds and sapphires totaling about 50 carats (Lot 77, starting bid €9,000), a floral platinum and diamond brooch by Frascarolo (Lot 165, starting bid €5,000), a gold clutch signed Massoni Roma (Lot 86, starting bid €20,000), and a rare Christian Dior “Diorama” bracelet in white gold and diamond pavé, created in 1951 (Lot 265, starting bid €5,000).
