Most of us put ourselves in the shoes of movie characters; we experience the same fear, joy, and sorrow they go through. If you are like us, you imagine yourself wearing beautiful jewelry that, to normal people, is unattainable.
The first elaborate pieces of jewelry made their way on screen in the 1930s. It would soon become more than a token of wealth but a symbol of status that said a lot about the character who wore it. Jewelry has the power to highlight any person’s features and makes a strong statement about their personality and ethos.
Grab some popcorn and let us take you through some of the most iconic jewelry in movie history.
1938 – Gone with the Wind – Scarlett O’Hara’s Brooch
Photo credit: Selznick International Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer & Loew’s Inc
There may be no better place to start than with Scarlett O’Hara and the all-time classic, Gone With the Wind. O’Hara’s jewelry has a relatively modest tone for the first half of this iconic movie. Once she marries wealthy blockade runner Rhett Butler and started earning more money through her sawmill, her taste in jewelry becomes posher. It is rumored that her cameo brooch, pictured here, belonged to the costume designer’s mother.
1961 – Breakfast At Tiffany’s – Holly Golightly
Photo credit Paramount
We couldn’t have a blog post about jewelry in movies without mentioning Breakfast at Tiffany’s. In the first scene, Golightly (played by Audrey Hepburn), steps out of a cab in front of a jewelry store in New York City. Her necklace (pictured here) is accessorized with massive pearls and a diamond embellished broach. The necklace was designed by Roger Scemama. We can’t even begin to guess the cost of this extraordinary piece of jewelry.
1990 – Pretty Woman – Vivian Ward
Photo credit Touchstone
In the iconic scene where Richard Gere’s character opens a jewelry box, Vivian Ward, played by Julia Roberts, breaks into a hysterical laugh. She then quickly snaps the box shut as if to say, ‘it is so beautiful, I can’t touch it.’ Later it was revealed that this was a practical joke on the world-famous actress. The necklace was made with 23 pear-cut rubies in the centers of diamond-encrusted hearts. Even though the necklace is outdated stylistically, it still holds sentimental value as a display piece. The necklace is estimated to be worth $500,000 to $1,000,000.
1997 – Titanic – Rose Dawson
Image source: Cosmopolitan
The Heart of the Ocean Diamond featured in the 1997 hit, Titanic, was a fictional piece. Sorry to break it to you, but the necklace worn by Rose in the movie, is cubic zirconia set in white gold. But many of its details were based on the Hope Diamond. The Hope Diamond was owned by Louis XIV and is considered one of the most famous jewels in the world. It was obtained in India in 1666. Today it is valued at $200-$350 million!