When Diamonds Stole the Show: The Best Diamond Jewelry in Film
Take a look back on the most cinematic moments when natural diamonds played a starring role.
“Isn’t it wonderful? Do you see what I mean, how nothing bad can ever happen to you in a place like this?” Holly Golightly asks while traipsing through Tiffany & Co. “It isn’t that I give a hoot about jewelry, except diamonds, of course… Like that.” In the 1961 classic Breakfast at Tiffany’s, actress Audrey Hepburn’s eyes widen in awe, setting her sights on the 128.54-carat yellow Tiffany Diamond necklace sitting regally inside the jewelry case.
When it comes to the movies, we go to feel something real in a world of fiction – and natural diamond jewels do just the trick. Whether acting as a transformative tool in a beloved rags-to-riches story or a symbol of love, diamonds have an unrivaled ability to set the scene. Since the age of Old Hollywood, diamonds in film have captured our hearts in starring roles, stealing the show and deserving their own Oscar.
1933: Mae West’s Diamonds in
She Done Him Wrong
Actress Mae West pulled from her own jewelry box for her 1933 portrayal of the Burlesque singer Lady Lou in She Done Him Wrong. The film was adapted from the 1928 Broadway production Diamond Lil, written by West herself. Based on the life of performer Lillian Russell, the nickname stemmed from her love for diamonds and her keen ability to persuade men to purchase them for her.
West wore her own diamond jewelry in the film, from her shoulder-scraping earrings to the stacks of Art Deco diamond bracelets, and plentiful assortment of rings. The actress sold a large portion of her collection to donate to the war effort, excluding a 1920s 40-carat diamond bracelet believed to have been worn in the film. The piece was later acquired by jeweler Neil Lane, who lent it to the costume department of Chicago for Catherine Zeta-Jones to wear.
1940: Katharine Hepburn’s Diamond
Engagement Ring in The Philadelphia Story
In the 1940 comedy The Philadelphia Story, Katharine Hepburn stars as Philadelphia socialite Tracy Lord. Throughout the film, she wears a stunning emerald-cut diamond engagement ring by Verdura. At the time, loaning real jewels to films was still uncommon. Many believe either Hepburn or costume designer Adrian, made a special call to Duke Fulco di Verdura to accommodate the request.
1950: Gloria Swanson’s Diamonds
in Sunset Boulevard
Gloria Swanson made a habit of showing off her pair of Cartier rock crystal and diamond bracelets both on- and offscreen. She wore the Art Deco hemispherical bombé-shaped bangles in her 1933 film Perfect Understanding, and later in 1950 as Norma Desmond in Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard. In 1951, the Hollywood icon even wore the same bracelets to a New York party during a live radio link with the Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles as she awaited her results for the Best Actress category. In 2022, Cartier took inspiration from her trademark bangles with the diamond Libre Morphosis watch as an homage.
1956: Grace Kelly’s Diamond
Engagement Ring in High Society
Ahead of her wedding to Prince Rainier III of Monaco, Grace Kelly starred in her final film High Society before giving up her acting career to become a royal. She starred alongside Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby in The Philadelphia Story remake, with yet another co-star – her very own magnificent Cartier diamond engagement ring. The ring featured a 10.48-carat emerald-cut diamond, flanked by a pair of tapered baguettes. Kelly stars as Tracy Samantha Lord, who is wedged between three men vying for her attention. Looking at her new sparkler, her ex-husband tells her, “That’s quite a rock, Sam,” before turning to her new fiancé saying, “Some stone, George. Did you mine it yourself?”
1964: Audrey Hepburn’s
Diamonds in My Fair Lady
Audrey Hepburn stars as the Cockney working-class girl, Eliza Doolittle in the 1964 rags-to-riches musical My Fair Lady. After taking lessons to appear more educated and cultured, she makes her entrance as a member of high society at the Embassy Ball. Hepburn’s sky-high updo is embellished with a diamond chandelier tiara designed by Chaumet, teamed with a luxurious openwork choker and matching drop earrings. Her knock-out ensemble designed by Cecil Beaton even scored the film an Academy Award for the wardrobe.
1967: Anne Bancroft’s
Diamond Ring in The Graduate
Dustin Hoffman’s character Benjamin Braddock begins a tryst with an older woman, Mrs. Robinson, played by Anne Bancroft in The Graduate. Throughout the movie, the Beverly Hills housewife adorns herself in Harry Winston jewels, from a diamond bracelet and cluster earrings to a juggernaut marquise-shape diamond Harry Winston engagement ring to complete her glamorous seductress persona.
1968: Barbara Streisand’s
Diamonds in Funny Girl
Throughout her stardom, Barbara Streisand garnered a reputation for incorporating her self-purchased antique and vintage jewelry collection on-screen. So, when it came to her role in the 1968 motion picture Funny Girl, Streisand selected the perfect Edwardian and Art Deco pieces, fit for the period in which the film is set, the early 1900s. During her performance of “My Man,” Streisand’s character, Fanny Brice wears diamond teardrop earrings and a sparkling Edwardian-style diamond engagement ring. Many of the jewels worn in Funny Girl were reportedly purchased from the Fred Leighton boutique in New York City and remain in Streisand’s personal collection.
1968: Elizabeth Taylor’s
Diamonds in Boom!
As much a jewelry connoisseur as she was an actress, Elizabeth Taylor wore plenty of her own diamond Bulgari baubles in the 1968 film, Boom!, where she starred alongside her husband Richard Burton. Wearing countless diamond brooches, bracelets and more, Taylor also wore the famed Krupp diamond. The 33.19-carat Asscher-cut diamond ring was renamed the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond after Burton purchased it for a whopping $305,000.
1974: Mia Farrow’s Diamonds
in The Great Gatsby
In the 1974 film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Mia Farrow portrays the wealthy socialite Daisy Buchanan during the Jazz Age of the Roaring Twenties. To emulate the era, Farrow’s Daisy adorned Art Deco Cartier jewels, including a delicate diamond tennis necklace, pear-shaped diamond earrings, and a circular diamond wreath brooch. She also sported Cartier’s 1928 Love Bird brooch in the film, featuring two perched parrots made up of rubies, black onyx, and diamonds. Most famously, she wore a gigantic marquise-shaped diamond engagement ring with a diamond wedding band. Two years following the movie’s release, Cartier hosted the Louis Cartier Retrospective exhibition in New York, with many of the pieces from the film included.
1990: Julia Roberts’
Diamonds in Pretty Woman
Who could possibly forget the iconic scene in Pretty Women, when Richard Gere surprises Julia Roberts with a jewelry box and opens it to reveal a sparkling diamond and ruby necklace? When Roberts’ character Vivian reaches to touch the jewel, he snaps it shut, prompting her to break out in her famous uproarious laughter. Dressed in her red gown and white opera gloves, Vivian wears the necklace with 23 pear-shaped rubies coiled in natural diamond hearts from the French jeweler Fred Joaillier.
1995: Angela Bassett’s Diamonds
in Waiting to Exhale
Waiting to Exhale follows the lives of four friends played by Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon. After Bassett’s character Bernadine is betrayed by her husband, she loads up his car with his entire wardrobe, pours on the gasoline, lights a cigarette, and sets his car on fire, making for one of the most legendary revenge scenes in cinematic history. Wearing black lace lingerie under her white silk robe, Bassett accessorized with a gold and diamond choker from Bulgari.
2001: Nicole Kidman’s
Diamonds in Moulin Rouge!
Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 Academy Award-winning cinematic adventure Moulin Rouge! features one of the most prominent pieces of diamond jewelry in film history. Set in 1899 Paris during the Bohemian Revolution, Nicole Kidman stars as the courtesan Satine, also known as the “Sparkling Diamond.” When the evil Duke tries to claim her for himself, he places an intricate diamond bib necklace around her neck, representing his possession of her.
Named after the character, the necklace was designed by Australian jeweler Stefano Canturi and entered the Guinness Book of World Records as one of the most expensive pieces of jewelry ever made for a motion picture. Inspired by the opulent lace-like jewelry of the period and Louis XVI, the hand-crafted Satine necklace features 1,308 diamonds, totaling 134 carats with a 2.5-carat sapphire clasp. It took over four months to make, using 100-yearold techniques.
2002: Jennifer Lopez’s Diamonds
in Maid in Manhattan
In the romantic comedy Maid in Manhattan, Jennifer Lopez undergoes a major fashion transformation. Her dramatic reveal comes during a Black-tie event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art when our heroine arrives in a coral Bob Mackie gown and the immaculate Harry Winston diamond wreath Cluster necklace and matching Cluster earrings. Chosen by costume designer, Albert Wolsky, the necklace features 180 marquise, pear-shaped, and round brilliant diamonds, totaling over 48 carats.
2003: Kate Hudson’s Diamonds in
How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days
It’s a cinematic style moment that’s ingrained in our collective pop culture oeuvre: Kate Hudson in a backless lemon-yellow slinky gown with the glistening “Isadora” necklace in the 2003 rom-com, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. When Hudson’s character Andie Anderson attends a jewelry party, she’s invited to “frost” herself. While admiring the Harry Winston collection of diamond jewels, Andie asks, “Is this real?!” A representative introduces Andie to “Isadora.” The diamond cluster necklace featured a 51.94-carat yellow sapphire drop pendant, matching her memorable gown.
2006: Kirsten Dunst’s Diamonds
in Marie Antoinette
In 2006, director Sofia Coppola sunk her teeth into the tragic tale of Marie Antoinette, the last queen consort of France before the French Revolution. Reimagined into a frothy, pastel dream world of regal grandeur, the film overflows with pastries, anachronistic 18th-century Manolo Blahnik footwear, and $4 million worth of antique diamond jewelry from the New York boutique Fred Leighton. The high-fashion period drama sees Kirsten Dunst star as the titular teenage queen, who historically treasured her own diamond jewelry collection. Showcasing the royal’s opulent and overindulgent lifestyle behind the gilded gates of Versailles, Dunst wears diamond feather brooches, diamond bracelets, and necklaces, with various pairs of drop earrings, like the 18th-century star and moon diamond chandelier earrings, totaling 25 carats.
2010: Angelina Jolie’s
Diamonds in The Tourist
The Tourist sees Angelina Jolie’s character Elise Clifton-Ward wear an extraordinary diamond choker with a scintillating backstory. While the film was still in pre-production, Jolie called upon the jewelry prowess of Robert Procop to help her find the most captivating jewel for her character.
According to the jeweler, he went on an international search to narrow down the selection from 100 fine necklaces to seven. Together, they decided on a Cartier choker with an interwoven laurel leaf motif, featuring circular-cut diamonds in platinum.
Originally crafted in a Parisian workshop in 1906 for Louis-Francois Cartier, the choker became an instant Hollywood star following the film’s release. Using the jewel to promote the film, SONY Pictures even built a traveling showcase to cart the diamond necklace around the world throughout the press junket. Since its cinematic debut, the necklace has been dubbed, “The Elise Choker” after Jolie’s character in the movie.
2012: Keira Knightley’s Diamonds
in Anna Karenina
In the 2012 screen adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel Anna Karenina, Keira Knightley’s titular character is seen dripping in pearls and Chanel diamonds throughout the film including the iconic layered floral Camelia Poudré necklace. Set in 19th-century Russia, the precious jewels were deliberately more modern. As the face of Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle perfume, the British actress had some pull. Thanks to Knightley, costume designer Jacqueline Durran had access to heaps of Chanel Joaillerie to the tune of $2 million.
2013: Carey Mulligan’s Diamonds
in The Great Gatsby
Baz Luhrmann took his turn at a film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby in 2013 with Carey Mulligan as the leading lady, Daisy Buchanan. Tiffany & Co. took the role of the film’s jeweler to exemplify the Jazz Age through diamonds with the help of costume designer Catherine Martin. F. Scott Fitzgerald was even known to frequent Tiffany’s in his day. As Daisy, Mulligan wore custom pieces like a diamond and cultured pearl headband with a dramatic feather motif and an assortment of jeweled handpieces.
2021: Lady Gaga’s Diamonds
in House of Gucci
Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci is filled with diamonds, affluence, fashion, and murder. When Patrizia Reggiani, played by Lady Gaga, marries into the Gucci family, all hell breaks loose. But not before she rocks some ultra-luxurious jewelry from Boucheron and Bulgari. When Patrizia first meets her husband Maurizio Gucci (played by Adam Driver), she’s seen dancing the night away in a crimson dress and a Bulgari suite from the Le Magnifiche collection, styled by costume designer Janty Yates. Matching her gown, the necklace includes 11 oval rubies, totaling 24.92 carats, and 77 round brilliant-cut natural diamonds with matching earrings. In the film, Patrizia asks, “They had it all — wealth, style, power. Who wouldn’t kill for that?” A tale of ambition and revenge, her jewels represent the grandeur and opulence only natural diamonds can capture.
