Photo: Twentieth Century Fox

Famous Jewelry In The Movies, Vol. 10: Cleopatra

If you are a true jewelry lover, then you know one of the greatest collectors of all time was Elizabeth Taylor. Richard Burton was coined as saying, “I introduced Elizabeth to beer. She introduced me to Bulgari. The only word Elizabeth knows in Italian is Bulgari.” Taylor and Burton met on the set of Cleopatra and history was made.

A pair of Bulgari emerald and diamond ear pendants, a gift from Burton in 1960, which she later wore to the premiere of Lawrence of Arabia, a meeting with the queen and as part of her costume in the VIPs. Photo: left: Getty Images/ right: Christie’s

A Bulgari emerald and diamond brooch (worn here in her hair) c. 1960, yet another gift from Burton. Photo: left: MGM/right: Christie’s

Not only did the movie break production spending records ($44M then, which would equate to over $300M in today’s dollars) and almost bankrupt 20th Century Fox but it also ignited the now infamous Burton/Taylor love affair. An affair so steamy and torrid, it prompted The Vatican to denounce the couple as “erotic vagrancy.” And while the film had amazing costumes (65 costume changes for Taylor alone) most of the jewelry, even the iconic serpent armband that’s oh so reminiscent of a Bulgari motif, was costume.

The Taj Mahal, a ruby and gold chain by Cartier (c. 1972) a 40th birthday present from Burton to Liz, held a heart-shaped diamond from the 17th century, once given by Shah Jahan to his wife Mumatz-i-Mahal, the inspiration for India’s Taj Mahal. Photo: Christie’s

Taylor’s 24kt gold cloth cape, designed to look like the wings of a phoenix, was made of tiny straps of leather, encrusted seed beads, bugle beads and bead anchored sequins. There were fake headdresses, armbands, breastplates and crowns all glittering about. But the real jewels of Cleopatra, were those acquired off-screen.

An emerald and diamond Bulgari pendant/brooch, rumored to be an engagement gift from Burton to Liz, c.1958. She wore it to their wedding when they married in Montreal in 1964. Photo: left: Rex USA/right: Christie’s

The “Granny Necklace” by Van Cleef and Arpels to commemorate Liz becoming a grandmother (through one of Richard’s children) at age 38. Photo: Christie’s

 

While Burton’s mistress and then later his wife, Elizabeth Taylor was bestowed with sparkling gift after sparkling gift from Burton. Heck, even her husband at the time of the filming, a heartbroken Eddie Fisher, whose marriage to Carrie Fisher’s mom, Debbie Reynolds, Taylor had broken up, tried to woo Elizabeth back with yellow diamond jewelry from Bulgari, taking a page from Richard Burton’s playbook.

A Bulgari emerald and diamond ring (we’re seeing a pattern here) a gift from Burton in 1962 Photo: Christie’s

But alas, it was to no avail. Burton had already won – perhaps solely via his choice of baubles. Which is your favorite? Tell us in the comments below.

And last but not least, perhaps the supreme gift from Richard to Liz, the Krupp Diamond, a 33.19ct, D flawless sparkler deemed “My Baby” by Liz. Photo: left: Getty Images/inset: Christie’s 

Photo: Columbia Pictures

FAMOUS JEWELRY IN THE MOVIES, VOL. 6: The Other Boleyn Girl

Ok, another film we haven’t seen but still yet another piece of gorgeous jewelry with great history! In this movie, the setting is just after the end of medieval times, when dresses were big and heavy and men wore tights. Even the kings. If you’re not familiar with the storyline, King Henry the VIII is running through wives like some of us run through donuts (certainly we’re not speaking about ourselves, but we’ve read about people that eat a lot of donuts). Henry, who is married to Queen Catherine of Aragon, has had his way with Anne Boleyn’s sister, Mary, by this time, and likely fathered two children by her, although he never claimed them. At the time of his wooing of Anne, he was still married to Queen Catherine. But apparently, he’d grown tired of Catherine (and possibly concerned with having no legitimate male heir) and tried to have the marriage annulled. Which would have worked fine, since Anne’s marriage to an Earl’s son had been broken off by the Cardinal. But alas, Pope Clement VII wouldn’t grant the King an annulment and Catherine had to be dealt with. It’s largely believed that this single event began the separation of England from the Catholic Church and Church of England. 

But on to the jewelry. For those of you that have seen the film, Anne wears a fantastic gold and pearl “B” necklace in several scenes. And while the one in the film is likely costume, there was an actual “B” necklace owned and worn by Anne. She’s seen in several portraits with it on. But here’s the debate that’s raged on for centuries: after Anne was beheaded, it was believed by some that the necklace was broken apart and redesigned into a piece for Jane Seymour (the King’s next love interest). Others think it was saved for Anne’s daughter and reworked (the pearls are suspiciously like some shown in portraits of a young Elizabeth I), until pieces eventually made their way into Queen Elizabeth II’s crown (the current reigning monarch)! 

We do know that, as odd as it may seem, given how he disposed of her, Henry did retain some of Anne’s possessions  As suggested in the book “The Life And Death of Anne Boleyn” by Eric Ives: “It was customary to make and remake pieces for the next Tudor sovereign and in Anne’s case, items specific to her would have been almost immediately broken up. Even so, Henry repurchased from Thomas Trappers a gold bowl ‘having Queen Anne’s sapphire upon the top of the cover’ and his post-mortem inventories included a dust bowl of gold (for blotting ink) with a crown on the lid and ‘H’ and ‘A’ in enamel’. Ives goes on to describe how Henry also kept a tablet of gold bearing the monogram ‘HA’ set with small emeralds, pearls, and one diamond. Did Henry have a change of heart? Did the necklace survive, to become a part of their daughter, later to be Queen Elizabeth I’s, jewels, as some have suggested? We’ll never know. 

But we do know that Elizabeth kept her mother close to her. Having lost her mom when she was only three, she certainly hardly knew her if at all. But she had her close at hand (literally), in a ring she never took off, which held portraits of mother and daughter inside a secret compartment. 

Oh, to know for sure what happened to that necklace. Was it in fact broken apart and given to Jane? Did it make its way into jewels held by Anne’s daughter, who was later to become Queen and then on down the line to the current monarch? We’ll never know. What do you think?

Photo credit: Twentieth Century Fox

Famous Jewelry In The Movies, Vol. 6: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Photo credit: Twentieth Century Fox

This movie may be the movie that has had the most impact on the jewelry industry of any yet. Yes, Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a close second, but from what we can tell, GPB was chocked full of sparkle power. How could it be anything but when you have Marilyn Monroe uttering phrases like, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” and “Talk to me, Harry Winston, tell me about it,” among others? It’s said that diamonds weren’t necessarily equated as a must for an engagement ring until 1) this movie came out and 2) DeBeers’ advertising agency rep, Frances Gerety, with N. W. Ayer out of Philadelphia, coined the phrase, “A diamond is forever,” in a morning strategy meeting in 1947.

Photo credit: Twentieth Century Fox

Ironically, at first, the phrase was poo-pooed by not only all of the men in the men in the room (almost all of the folks in the room were men) but also by Gerety herself. DeBeers had hired the agency in 1938 to make Americans fall in love with the idea of diamond engagement rings. It worked, albeit almost 10 years down the road. And the phrase is still as powerful today, seventy years later, as it was back then.

Photo credit: Twentieth Century Fox

But on to what we’re really here for – to learn about the jewels in the film. For starters, as Marilyn is dancing around in her pink satin strapless gown, with men literally falling at her feet, she’s wearing one heck of a necklace (actually, she’s wearing a couple but there’s one that’s truly notable) – possibly the oldest piece of fine jewelry ever worn in a movie: The Moon of Baroda is a 24.04ct pear-shaped, yellow, canary diamond necklace, with an interesting story of its own, one that stretches for centuries before landing in Hollywood. 

It was the property of the Maharajah of Baroda, India for more than 500 years. Fast forward to the 18th century when it adorned Empress Maria Theresa of Austria’s neck (side note: the center stone in WendyKate’s engagement ring once belonged to Maria Theresa’s daughter) and was even worn by Marie Antoinette. Sometime after Marie no longer had a need for necklaces, it was stolen and then returned to Baroda, where it remained for another 200 years, until it was purchased in 1943 by Meyer Rosenbaum, president of the Meyer Jewelry Company of Detroit and then loaned in 1953 to the studio for the movie. It was later auctioned off by Christie’s in 1991 to an undisclosed bidder. It surfaced again briefly in 2009 for an exhibition and soon after yet again went underground. 

Photo credit: Twentieth Century Fox

Most of the rest of the jewels in the movie, while appearing to be vintage (by today’s standards) and real, were in fact costume, but quite lovely. If only we knew where they were today, along with that amazing 24ct pear. We’ve posted some of the various scenes (photo credit: Twentieth Century Fox) that co-started lots of sparkly pieces. Which scene is your favorite? 

Photo credit: Twentieth Century Fox

Photo: Paramount Pictures

Famous Jewelry In The Movies, Vol 5: How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days

Released in 2003 and starring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, the movie has a third co-star (you guessed it – I mean this is “Famous Jewelry In The Movies” after all). But we’ll get to that in a minute.

For those that haven’t seen the film. Andie Anderson (played by Hudson) writes for a fictitious magazine called “Composure”. She covers the “How To” beat for the mag and it’s decided she’ll write a story about how to lose a guy, using all of the “stereotypical” things women do to drive new boyfriends away. Enter in McConaughey’s character Benjamin Barry – an advertising exec and general ladies man about town. He’s agreed to a bet that he can make a woman fall in love with him in a week, in an effort to prove he understands women, and therefore should be granted a new account: DeLauer Diamonds (possibly a shot at DeBeers??).

Photo: Paramount Pictures

We’re sure you can guess how things progress: she does her best to drive him away, while he hangs on for dear life. It all builds up to the big event – a gala that’s the brain child of Ben, put on by DeLauer, to showcase their fine wares. Enter stage left the $14,200,000 worth of jewelry loaned to the film for the famous “Frost Yourself” gala scene.

Photo: Paramount Pictures

The star of the ball is the wreath necklace loaned to Hudson’s character, Andie Anderson, to be worn during the gala, boasting an impressive 84ct yellow diamond pendant called “Isadora” (named after Isadora Duncan in the movie) worth between $5M – $6M (which sold shortly after filming to an undisclosed customer). It was, of course, a stunner created by none other than Harry Winston. Runner up? The pair of 5ct radiant cut yellow diamond stud earrings she wore, worth approximately $125,000 that complimented the yellow satin gown, custom designed to go with the ensemble.

So, what was your favorite piece of jewelry in the “Frost Yourself” scene? There were SO many to choose from! Tell us in the comments below.

Photo credit: Warner Brothers Films

Famous Jewelry In The Movies, Vol 4: Gone With The Wind

When thinking of famous jewelry in the movies, Gone With The Wind isn’t a file that typically springs to mind. But we shouldn’t let this iconic film’s jewelry go unappreciated. If you think about it, the O’Hara family was pretty wealthy until the ravages of war came home to roost. And we know that Rhett was quite the entrepreneur and made money hand over fist during the reconstruction. But there was also his friend Madam Belle – she had done well during the war and was herself a very wealthy woman. Even the staff (we’re going to call them that, not to be disrespectful, but because we really dislike the other term(s) used) had jewelry in the movie. Mammy had a brooch on at the scarf around her neck, a ring and earrings in most scenes.

Photo Credit: Warner Brothers Films

But we’ll stick with Scarlett for tonight since her jewelry alone offers up plenty to discuss. Where do we start? Maybe with the large gold brooch she wore with her mourning outfit? It was actually borrowed from the costume designer’s mother! But…. which brooch is it?! Miss Scarlett lost a couple of husbands before marrying handsome Rhett. And then there was the loss of her daughter. We haven’t been able to determine which one was the borrowed piece, so we have included at least three in our photos here; all fairly spectacular.

Photo credit: Warner Brothers Films

Then there was the restaurant dining scene with Rhett. She’s decked out to the nines and shoving fabulous food in her mouth non-stop (photo at the top). Most of the pieces in that scene are costume, created by famous movie jewelry designer Eugene Joseff. He was a smart man. After heading to Hollywood in the ‘30s to make his fortune, he was wise enough to realize if he made jewelry for a movie and sold it to the movie house, it was gone forever, but if he instead rented it out, he could do so eight or 10 times each. That led to a beyond-words collection that is, for the moment, still intact. It is about to be auctioned off, piece by piece, this coming November by @Juliens_Auctions out of Culver City, CA. Yes, you can own a piece of Hollywood movie jewelry history, if you can get your trigger finger ready to hit enter on your keyboard fast enough come November 18 -19th.

Photo Credit: Warner Brothers Films

We’ve added a few additional favorites of Scarlett all blinged out: like the body hugging red evening gown scene – if only we could see those earrings up close! Her “coral” necklace from the opening scene of the picnic at her family’s home. And a picture featuring Rhett Butler’s one-of-a-kind cigar case, as well as his belt buckle and Scarlett O’Hara’s necklace from the aforementioned dining scene. 

Photo credit: Warner Brothers Films

Which piece of jewelry from Gone With The Wind is your favorite? Tell us in the comments. We’d love to compare notes! And we’ll see you in November with our much exercised and trigger happy “enter” finger. 

Mammy. Photo credit: Warner Brothers Films

Miss Belle. Photo Credit: Warner Brothers Films

Photo credit: Warner Brothers Films

Photo: Touchstone Pictures

Famous Jewelry In The Movies, Vol 2: Pretty Woman

Unless you were under a rock in the 90’s, you saw it. In the theater. Replayed on TBS or another cable channel. Via your own VHS copy…. Pretty Woman. Some of us saw it more than once. Ok, maybe 22 times and counting. And we own the VHS and DVD versions. And we can recite the whole movie word for word and lines from the movie actually make their way into our everyday conversation. I mean, I’ve read about people like that.

Photo: Touchstone Pictures

The Famous Ruby and Diamond Necklace

Moving on . . . . We all know the story line, but for the two people on the planet that don’t – A down on her luck gal (Julia Roberts), who’s made some bad life decisions, runs into a hunky multi-millionaire businessman (Richard Gere) trying (and failing miserably) to drive a borrowed six speed Lotus Esprit SE (a super fancy sports car). She helps him get to his destination and he asks her to keep him company, as he conveniently just broke up with his girlfriend that evening. He likes her and so he asks her the next day to stick around for the week. He’ll happily compensate her for her time. But she needs some different clothes. People at the stores are mean to her. He and a forgiving and benevolent hotel manager save the day. The hunky millionaire buys her pretty clothes so they can go out in the evenings and one night he flies her in his private jet up to San Francisco (the story is taking place in LA), to see the opera. The day of, he’s worked at the office all day, and gets to his hotel to meet her there, finding her in the bar, a transformed woman. He notes that she’s stunning. She chides him (with a twinkle in her eye) that he’s late. But he makes up for it because he pulls out a box. One of those, “this is going to be something amazing” kind of boxes. It’s a necklace and earrings. But not just any necklace and earring set. A necklace/movie prop valued at $1.35 million, with 23 rubies cut into the shape of pears, nesting in the middle of heart-shaped diamonds.

Photo: Touchstone Pictures

Jewelry Trivia You Didn’t Know

But there was a bit of a prank as the necklace was being revealed. It turns out, however, that the prank was actually on us! Gary Marshall, the director of the film, revealed years later in interviews that he asked Richard Gere to play a bit of a prank on the very young 23-year-old Julia Roberts. Apparently, she would show up on set a bit tired in the mornings, having been rumored to have been out partying many of the nights before. “I said, ‘Richard, you gotta wake her up a little, so when she reaches for the box, slam it.’ It was a soft box. I would never hurt her,” Marshall has been quoted as saying. Originally, they thought they would include the clip in the end-of-movie gag real, but while editing the film, Gary liked it so much, they left it in.

And that necklace? It was in fact real. And apparently while filming, an armed security guard, hired by the jewelry store that provided the necklace for the film, was constantly standing behind the director.

Now….. we’re off to go watch the movie for the 23^rd time. We mean, clean the bathroom. Yup. That’s what we’re going to go do. And for you two folks who don’t know the ending, that’s why God invented Netflix.

Famous Jewelry In The Movies, Vol 1: Titanic

In the movie, the now eponymous necklace, which was called La Coeur de la Mer (Heart of the Sea) was modeled after the Hope Diamond but was in fact not a diamond at all. The movie prop was made by Asprey & Garrad, a London jeweler, and it was really a blue cubic zirconium in a white gold setting. However, for the 1998 Academy Awards, in which the actress Gloria Stuart, who played the older Rose in the movie, Harry Winston created a real pendant, which was worn by Gloria to the awards (photo above). It is still one of the most expensive pieces ever worn to the awards ceremony (and that’s saying something!), valued at $4M and made up of a 170ct sapphire surrounded by 103 diamonds.

Photo credit: Twentieth Century Fox & Paramount Pictures

What many don’t realize is there was a real necklace storyline on the Titanic. Twenty-two-year-old passenger Kate Florence Phillips was given a sapphire and diamond necklace by Henry Samuel Morley, a forty-year old married man who traveled with Kate in second class. Henry had sold his two London candy shops (at one of which Miss Kate worked) and given the proceeds to his wife and twelve-year-old daughter. He and Kate were running away to America, where they planned to marry under assumed names. Kate made it. Henry didn’t. For a few months, Kate lived with a couple who had taken her in, but upon finding out she was pregnant, Kate returned to England to have her daughter Ellen (born almost nine months to the date of the fateful voyage), who in the end was raised by her great-grandparents. Kate, a restless soul, eventually remarried. Ellen fought hard to have Henry’s name listed on her birth certificate but was never successful. Kate wasn’t very good to Ellen and in the end, due to financial difficulties, Ellen had to sell the necklace to an undisclosed woman in Florida. She died in 2005 in Worcester, England at age 92.