ITALIAN PM GIVES GOLD RINGS FOR FEMALE MPs FOR X'MAS

ROME, Itali - For some, five gold rings are enough for Christmas. But for Silvio Berlusconi, 37 are required — one for each of his female MPs.
The 74-year-old Italian prime minister ordered the specially made £1,200 rings from a designer jeweller and they were given to female politicians as part of his annual Christmas gift.

• In all, 24 women MPs from the lower house and 13 senators from the upper house were given the Italian tricolour rings, which were made of three bands of white, yellow and pink gold studded with tiny diamonds. The rings were made by the jeweller Recarlo, which is based at Valenza near Alessandria in northern Italy, an area known for its upmarket gem dealerships.
• On its website, Recarlo says of itself: "Pure passion — Recarlo has always chosen the best quality diamonds.'' Carlo Re, the company's chairman, who has run the family business for 40 years, was unavailable for comment but a member of staff said: "This was a special gift chosen by the prime minister of Italy. We are not making any comment on it as it was a private purchase."

Berlusconi is known for his generosity and each year he gives MPs from his People of Freedom party Christmas gifts. His largesse is not just limited to Italian politicians - he has also given expensive watches as presents to world leaders, including Tony Blair, who received nine during his time at No 10.
Alessandra Mussolini, the granddaughter of the Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, was given one of the rings. "It's a beautiful gift and the other female MPs and myself are very grateful," she said.

Source: The Telegraph