Learn Italian: Abbiamo ritrovato qualcosa di prezioso, di chi è? - We found something precious, whose is it?

In Italian, there is no single word for the question word "whose". Instead, you say "of whom", which is di chi. When asking who an object belongs to, you combine di chi with the verb essere (to be). So di chi è? literally means "of whom is [it]?".

Why is there a di between qualcosa and prezioso?

Whenever you use an adjective to describe an indefinite pronoun like qualcosa (something) or niente (nothing), you must connect them with the preposition di. So "something precious" becomes qualcosa di prezioso.

Could I just say abbiamo trovato instead of abbiamo ritrovato?

Yes, but there is a slight difference in meaning. Trovare means "to find" in general. Ritrovare means "to find again" or "to recover" something that was lost. Since the item is precious, ritrovato emphasizes that a lost valuable has been safely recovered.

Why isn't there a word for "it" in di chi è?

Italian frequently drops subject pronouns when the context is clear. Here, the subject "it" (referring to the precious thing) is simply understood. You don't need to add a pronoun; just the verb è is enough.