Sophia Loren

Sophia Loren and Sharon Stone, chose to wear Damiani jewels. Sophia arrived at the famed Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles wearing a Masterpiece jewel from her namesake collection by internationally renowned Italian jeweler Damiani. She complemented the magnificent choker with a bracelet and earrings from the Sophia Loren collection. She is the muse of the precious collection named after her, reaffirming the strong bond that exists between Damiani and Sophia, the greatest Italian actress of all times –winner of two Academy Awards.

As it has become customary, many other stars chose to wear spectacular jewels from the Milan-based jewelry house, which brings to Los Angeles selected and one-of-a-kind pieces specially for the occasion. Sasha Alexander Ponti, Ms. Loren’s daughter-in-law, wore the Fabiola collection by Calderoni, one of the brands of the Damiani Group; Jada Pinkett-Smith, Sophia Milos and Tichina Arnold are among the actresses who dazzled in Damiani jewels.

Paris Hilton, wore Calderoni jewels, Dancing with the Stars’ presenter Samantha Harris; E! Entertainments’s Ashland Gorse, Ken Baker and Jason Kennedy who all cover the Red Carpet for E!’s Countdown to the Academy Awards and E! Entertainment’s After Party; and Lara Spencer, host of Entertainment Tonight and The Insider. One of Italy’s leading luxury jewelry brands, recognized for its innovative, timeless designs since 1924, DAMIANI is synonymous with flawless quality, and is one of the most renown and sought after jewelry houses in the world.

Sean Penn

Sean Penn, there is forever the sense that he has demons of his own to beat back before he can slip underneath the skin of whatever character is awaiting dissection on the table in front of him. The knives are always at the ready, the guns loaded, the enemy awaits. And so it felt with "Milk" that there were wounds that he needed to suffer through first to excavate the soul of the slain San Francisco politician and gay-rights activist Harvey Milk.

Though Penn has countless performances from the searing to the sublime, "Milk" became the crucible that would test him, revealing a new essential core of complexity within an already complex actor's actor. It is in the ever-so-slight release of tension that seems to always play across Penn's body, the bare tilt of his head, the way his voice pirouetted around the homilies he is preaching. In "Milk," he found his way to new emotional depths.

Accepting the award for best actor for playing gay politician Harvey Milk, Milk's Sean Penn joked that the Academy was a group of "homo loving sons of guns!" "I did not expect this. I am touched by the appreciation," said Penn, who previously won for Mystic River. Before leaving the stage, he gave a shout out to fellow nominee Mickey Rourke ("he is my brother," Penn said). Piggybacking off the themes of Milk, he also told the audience, "We've got to have equal rights for everyone."