Cinema has transformed diamonds, high jewelery creations and spectacular stage jewelery into mythological objects. It matters little whether a stone is authentic or whether its value exists only in fiction: in the right light, a jewel can describe luxury, love, power and ambition better than many jokes.
Research by the Brand Jewelry Observatory has identified the ten most sought-after and cited cinematographic jewels by the Italian public. From the impossible blue of the Heart of the Ocean to the ruby necklace of Pretty Womanthe ranking spans over seventy years of cinema through its most shining treasures.
The Heart of the Ocean Titanic
In first place appears the jewel that more than any other belongs simultaneously to the history of cinema and to fantasy. The Heart of the Ocean Titanic it is a large blue heart-shaped diamond, surrounded by white stones and suspended from a diamond necklace. In the film it would have belonged to Louis XVI before being cut into the shape it comes to Rose’s neck.
In reality, the precious is a narrative invention freely inspired by the story of the Hope diamond. Its strength, however, does not depend on its material value, but on what it ends up representing: the privileged world from which Rose tries to free herself, the bond with Jack and, finally, a memory cherished for a lifetime. When the elderly protagonist drops it into the ocean, the gesture returns the jewel to the place where its story began.
The ruby necklace of Pretty Woman
The necklace of Pretty Woman enters the scene together with one of the most beloved sequences of the romantic comedy. Edward shows Vivian a necklace of heart-shaped rubies framed by diamonds; when she brings her hand closer, he jokingly closes the case and Julia Roberts bursts into laughter which remained in the editing precisely because of its spontaneity.
Created specifically for the film, the necklace was worth around $250,000 and would have been guarded during filming by a security guard. But his celebrity arises above all from the role he takes in Vivian’s transformation. Combined with the red dress with sweetheart neckline and white gloves, it marks the moment in which the protagonist no longer appears out of place in Edward’s world.
The necklace of Breakfast at Tiffany’s
In the opening scene of Breakfast at Tiffany’sHolly Golightly observes the windows of Tiffany on Fifth Avenue wearing a black Givenchy dress, long gloves, dark glasses and an imposing multi-strand pearl necklace fastened by a large decorative brooch.
More than a simple accessory, the necklace highlights the distance between Holly’s real life and the one she dreams of. The pearls belong to her sophisticated self-construction, as do the black dress and the long cigarette holder. The jewel contributed to immortalizing one of the most reproduced images in the history of cinema and to definitively establishing the relationship between the names of Audrey Hepburn and that of Tiffany.
Satine’s necklace in Moulin Rouge!
In Moulin Rouge! the most spectacular jewel could only belong to Satine, the courtesan played by Nicole Kidman. Created by Australian jeweler Stefano Canturi, the necklace that bears his name is made up of 1,308 diamonds for a total weight of approximately 134 carats.
The elaborate structure, inspired by the lace and scrolls of the late 19th century, completely envelops the neck and ends with a large emerald-cut diamond. In the film it is offered to Satine by the Duke as a pledge of his possession, turning magnificence into a form of imprisonment.
The Serpents by Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra
Few encounters between actress, character and jewel have been as natural as that between Elizabeth Taylor, Cleopatra and the serpent by Bulgari. The Serpenti bracelet watch, wrapped around the wrist and constructed using the Tubogas technique, is linked to the imagery of the 1963 film and the actress’s passion for the Roman fashion house.
The serpent, symbol of regeneration, knowledge and seduction, seemed created to accompany a sovereign with a magnetic personality. Elizabeth Taylor also wore it off the set, helping to transform it into a cultural icon.
The Toussaint necklace by Ocean’s 8
In Ocean’s 8 the jewel does not simply accompany the action, but constitutes its driving force. The whole plan organized by Debbie Ocean revolves around the Toussaint, a monumental Cartier necklace worn by Anne Hathaway during the Met Gala.
The cinematic creation reproduces a jewel designed in 1931 for the Maharaja of Nawanagar and takes its name from Jeanne Toussaint, legendary creative director of Cartier. Since the original no longer exists in its complete form, the fashion house created a reconstruction for the film adapted to the actress’ proportions.
Grace Kelly’s ring in High Society
When Grace Kelly turns High Societythe border between his life and that of the character is now very thin. In fact, on screen the actress wears the real engagement ring she received from Prince Rainier III of Monaco: a 10.48-carat emerald-cut diamond, flanked by two baguettes and signed Cartier.
The jewel appears particularly suitable for Tracy Lord, a sophisticated heiress fought over by three men, but the public of the time knew they were also observing the symbol of a real story. Released in 1956, High Society it was Grace Kelly’s last film before her wedding and her farewell to the cinema.
The Moon of Baroda by Marilyn Monroe
The Moon of Baroda is one of the few jewels in the list to have a much older history than the film with which it is associated. The pear-shaped yellow diamond, weighing 24.04 carats, comes from the Indian mines of Golconda and belonged to the royal family of Baroda for centuries.
Marilyn Monroe wore it in 1953 while promoting Men prefer blondesthe film that contains the famous performance of Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend. Although it did not actually appear in the film, the stone remained inseparable from the image of the actress and the aesthetic universe of the film.
The Savoy Tiara Great Gatsby
To translate the feverish splendor of the twenties into jewels, The Great Gatsby in 2013 it entrusted Tiffany & Co. The maison collaborated with costume designer Catherine Martin to create a collection inspired by its archives, bringing the geometric energy of Art Deco back to the screen.
Among the most recognizable pieces stands out the Savoy, worn by Carey Mulligan in the role of Daisy Buchanan. Made with diamonds and freshwater pearls, it can be worn as a tiara or as a forehead band.
The Isadora diamond by How to get dumped in 10 days
The yellow diamond Isadora lights up the finale of How to get dumped in 10 days. Andie Anderson, played by Kate Hudson, wears it during a gala evening entirely dedicated to diamonds, combining it with a yellow silk dress designed by Carolina Herrera.
The pendant is named after Isadora Duncan and is dominated by a yellow pear-shaped stone of approximately 84 carats, surrounded by smaller diamonds. Valued at the time at several million dollars, it is not only the visual center of the look: it becomes part of the game of seduction and pretenses on which the relationship between Andie and Benjamin is built. Its hue seems to extend into the color of the dress, creating one of the most recognizable images of romantic comedies of the early 2000s.
