The Top 10 most iconic jewels in movies

Sparkling, huge, colorful and very precious. The jewels worn by Hollywood stars on the screen, whether diamonds, rubies or emeralds, are always beautiful. So special that the plot often spins around these legendary gems like the Heart of the Ocean, the blue diamond worn by Kate Winslet in Titanic or the Cartier Toussaint necklace that Sandra Bullock and her gang of thieves steals in Ocean's 8. 

Harry Winston was the first jeweler, back in 1943, to offer his creations to stars for the red carpet, but since then, the jewels of Cartier, Bulgari, Tiffany & Co. and many other major brands have also been the envy of all common mortals who saw millions of dollars worth of diamonds and amethysts only in the movies.

Get ready to dream because here below you find a list of the 10 most iconic jewels in movies. 

Moon of Baroda - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

In an iconic scene of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Marilyn Monroe, dressed in pink satin, sings Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friends while a crowd of men cover her in shiny but, sadly, fake jewelry. The real gem, Moon of Baroda, was worn by the actress only for the movie's promotional campaign. This pear-shaped canary-yellow diamond was discovered in the mines of Golconda, India, and remained the property of the Gaekwad dynasty for over 500 years until the Maharajah of Baroda gave it to Empress Maria Theresa of Habsburg who, in turn, passed it on to her daughter, Queen Marie Antoinette. It was auctioned in 2018 for $1.3 million.

Cartier ring - High Society (1956)

In High Society, Grace Kelly plays the socialite Tracy Samantha Lord, a divorced woman wooed by three men: her ex-husband and jazz musician (Bing Crosby), a businessman (John Lund) and a journalist (Frank Sinatra). Among the many jewels in the movie, there is a very special one: a Cartier ring with an emerald-cut 10.47-carat diamond set on a platinum frame. In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, the actress confessed that the stone was her second engagement ring, given to her by her betrothed, Prince Rainier III, after he heard that Grace would have to wear a giant solitaire on set.

Ribbon Rosette - Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) 

Audrey Hepburn,  in the role of Holly Golightly, who, while the sun is still rising over New York City, gets out of a cab in an evening dress and stops to look at Tiffany's window sipping coffee and eating a danish pastry is one of the most iconic images ever. Together with that unforgettable Givenchy little black dress, the star of Blake Edwards' movie is wearing a pair of sunglasses by Oliver Goldsmith, a tiara and a necklace made by Roger Scemama, consisting of five strands of pearls embellished on the front by a jewel clasp. Even more precious is the one you can see in the promotional campaign of Breakfast at Tiffany's: the Ribbon Rosette. It is a necklace created by Jean Schlumberger, one of the most appreciated designers of the 20th century, and made in platinum, yellow gold and diamonds with, in the center, one of the largest and most beautiful yellow diamonds in the world. The gemstone was discovered in the Kimberly Mine in South Africa in 1877 and was purchased the following year by Charles Lewis Tiffany for $18,000, who had it cut into its present cushion shape with 82 facets. To this day, the jewel has been worn three times: by Mrs Mary Whitehouse at a charity gala in 1957; by Audrey Hepburn to advertise Breakfast at Tiffany's; Lady Gaga on the red carpet at the Academy Awards 2019.

Serpenti bracelet - Cleopatra (1963)

In Rome, on the set of Cleopatra, Liz Taylor fell in love with Richard Burton, starting one of Hollywood's most turbulent and epic love stories ever. Ironically, he used to repeat in interviews: "the only word Liz knows in Italian is Bulgari" or "I introduced Liz to beer, she introduced me to Bulgari". Over the years, Burton has given his beloved many wonderful jewels, but one of the most unique pieces worn by the purple-eyed diva no one knows who bought it, only that it was sold by the Italian brand in 1962. It is a snake-shaped gold bracelet decorated with rubies, diamonds and emeralds. You can admire it in a shot of Taylor made in the '60s during the shooting of Cleopatra and recalls the jewelry worn by the actress in the colossal that, instead, were all props created by Joseff of Hollywood, the company behind the most glittering creations of Hollywood's Golden Age.

Ruby necklace - Pretty Woman (1990)

As in true modern and romantic fairy tale, in Pretty Woman Julia Roberts finds love and a wardrobe full of evening dresses and elegant items, but also a precious white gold necklace with diamonds and 23 rubies. Made especially for the film by French goldsmith Fred Joaillier, the necklace is worth about $1.35 million.

Heart of the Ocean - Titanic (1997) 

The Heart of the Ocean is perhaps the most famous jewel of contemporary cinematography. We all remember that 56 carat diamond with its heart-shaped cut and deep blue color at the neck of Roses in the highlight scenes of the film and, in particular, when she is portrayed naked by Jack, dressed only with the legendary necklace. In James Cameron's cult, it is said that the necklace, before being given to Rose by her boyfriend Cal Hockley, belonged to the King of France Louis XVI, but, actually, it never existed. During the shooting, in fact, Kate Winslet was wearing a replica not with diamonds, but with zircons, made by London jewelers Asprey & Garrard and inspired by three famous diamonds that are part of the history of French royalty: the Regent, Marie Antoinette Bleu and the Hope diamond. None of them ever traveled on the transatlantic ship, but all fans of Rose and Jack can keep on dreaming because on the edge of the Titanic there seems to have really been a romantic story linked both to a precious stone and to a couple in love. It was a necklace with a sapphire surrounded by diamonds, given by Henry Samuel Morley to Kate Florence Phillips, who was an assistant in one of the man's candy stores. For her, Morley abandoned his wife and daughter and the couple left London looking for fortune in America, but, just like in the movie, Samuel died during the shipwreck, while Kate survived and kept the gift for the rest of her life. 

Over the years, Heart of the Ocean has been replicated several times, one of the most famous and precious versions was worn by Céline Dion at the 1998 Oscars during her performance of My heart will go on: a 170-carat sapphire necklace set with 65 round diamonds, auctioned for $2.2 million.

Satine necklace - Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Marilyn Monroe sang it in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Nicole Kidman repeated it many years later in Moulin Rouge! In the film directed by Baz Luhrmann, the character she plays, the étoile Satine, receives as a gift from the Duke of Monroth an impressive illuminated necklace of 1,308 diamonds set in platinum, with a 2.5 carat sapphire as a clasp. The creation designed by Australian jeweler Stefano Canturi was inspired by the Louis XVI style, perforated lace, parchments and splendid late 19th century bodices and is one of the most expensive jewels ever made for the cinema and is estimated to be worth around $1 million.

Isadora necklace - How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days (2003)

The most famous comedy outfit of the early 2000's comedy How to get left in 10 days is all yellow. Kate Hudson, in the role of Andie Anderson, wears a yellow satin slip dress that fashion designer Dina Bar-El has created inspired by the Isadora necklace. What makes this jewel by Harry Winston, the focus of a popular scene in the movie, so special? The 84-carat yellow diamond surrounded by a circle of white Wreath-cut diamonds. Together these stones are worth about $5.3 million.

Savoy headpiece - The Great Gatsby (2013)

The version of The Great Gatsby directed by Baz Luhrmann is a great visual delight: great actors like Carey Mulligan and Leonardo Di Caprio; sumptuous locations; a soundtrack with songs by Lana Del Rey, The XX and Beyoncé; costumes by Prada and jewelry by Tiffany & Co. From the partnership with the famous New York brand were born wonderful creations such as the daisy seal ring that Gatsby wears, Daisy's pearl necklace and, above all, the tiara she wears at the party organized by the character of Di Caprio. The jewel, which perfectly embodies the Jazz Age of the 1920s and the style of the flapper girls, was directly inspired by a design discovered in Tiffany's archives, recreated using high-quality diamonds and pearls. 

Toussaint necklace - Ocean’s 8 (2018)

In Ocean’s 8 the gang of ultra-cool thieves led by Sandra Bullock steals a precious necklace worn by Anne Hathaway during the Met Gala: the Cartier Toussaint. It was a replica, adapted to the proportions of the actress, of the jewel created by Jacques Cartier in 1931 for the Maharaja of Nawanagar. The original piece, called "the most beautiful cascade of colored diamonds in the world", included several pink and white diamonds, a 12-carat olive green diamond and a 136.25-carat blue-white diamond known as the Queen of Holland which, unfortunately, disappeared when the Maharaja was exiled.