7 Films with Remarkable Diamonds

My favourite month of the year, April is here.  It is the birthstone month of a gemstone I love, diamonds, and happens to be my birthday month too! How lucky am I??

Some quick diamond facts before we move on to 7 movies with remarkable diamonds:

• They’re made of a single element, Carbon which forms into diamonds under extreme heat and pressure.
• They’re the hardest natural substance in the world, measuring 10 on the Mohs scale and only a diamond can scratch another diamond.
• It is estimated that India was trading in diamonds as early as the 4th Century BC.
• In 1477 Archduke Maximillian of Austria presented Mary of Burgundy with a diamond engagement ring.
• The Cullinan Diamond is the largest diamond ever found, weighing 3,106 carats. It was later cut into nine large stones and about 100 smaller ones with the largest stone called the “Star of Africa I,” or “Cullinan I,” and at 530 carats, it is the largest-cut fine-quality colorless diamond in the world. The second largest stone, the “Star of Africa II” or “Cullinan II,” is 317 carats.

Now, on to the featured diamonds in films:

1. Crazy Rich Asians

More like crazy beautiful jewellery!
Nick Young played by Henry Golding, looks pretty pleased with the engagement ring he chose for his love interest, Rachel Chu played by Constance Wu.

The diamond is emerald cut with a halo of diamonds encircling the center stone with further diamonds adorning the shoulders. Uh, YES!

Notable mention:

Michelle Yeoh famously wore her own ring, a large emerald cut emerald, flanked by two pear-shaped white diamonds, where she says in an interview with E!'s Giuliana Rancic, the colour green is about life and prosperity, and the ring had to be instantly recognizable especially when worn by such a strong character, Eleanor Sung-Young.

Side note: Here she is wearing the emerald ring with a stunning diamond necklace and a bypass style thumb ring she wore to the Golden Globes!

2. I care a lot

Rosamund Pike plays a legal guardian who defrauds her senior clients under her care but gets into trouble when a client turns out to be the mother of a gangster, Roman Lunyov, played by Peter Dinklage and tries to beat him at his own game by being ruthless and tenacious in getting what she wants.
Going through his mother’s belongings she finds a key to a safe deposit box where she heads next and finds a pouch of diamonds hidden in the pages of a cut-out book.

The diamonds were valued at 175-200k by her jeweller, but she wanted more! Much more. I would have been happy with just the diamonds...

3. Moulin Rouge

The Satine necklace worn by Nicole Kidman’s character was inspired by the lavishness of 18th Century France under Louis XVI’s reign (think opulence of Marie Antoinette).
Mounted with 1,308 diamonds and weighing a total of 134 carats (!!!) the piece was designed by Stefano Canturi, an Australian jeweller, and is said to be valued at more than 3 million dollars, the most expensive piece of jewellery made for a movie.

Photo: Stefano Canturi

Photo: Canturi Designs

4. Ocean’s 8

That crazy Jeanne Toussaint necklace created by Cartier that Anne Hathaway’s character wore looked good even in the food poisoning scene with Hathaway throwing up in the bathroom.
Cartier based it on an original design from the 1930s which shows true Art Deco influence with the architectural form and geometry of the necklace.

5. The Goonies

Who can forget the scene when The Goonies finally found One-Eyed Willy's treasure and they started pouring gold and jewels into their pockets, or when Rosalita excitedly exclaims “No sign!” when she found a pouch of gemstones in Mikey’s marble bag and saved their home from getting turned into a golf course.

I am sure there was a diamond in there somewhere ;)

6. The Great Gatsby

No glamour was spared when Tiffany & Co. designed their Great Gatsby Collection for Baz Luhrman’s film with a nod to 1920s Jazz Age, also known as the Roaring Twenties featuring flamboyant, bold, and innovative designs.

When World War I ended, with 20-40 million casualties, young women, feeling that life is short and should be enjoyed after the dark times of war, challenged women’s societal roles by embracing consumerism, personal choice, and wore their hair in a short bob with loose, flowy dresses. This was known as the Flapper Style which of course inspired the costumes in the movie. It was a time of hedonism and high-spirits, which was captured in the jewellery and costume designs perfectly.

Photo: Warner Bros

The Savoya diamond and freshwater cultured pearl headpiece

7. Breakfast at Tiffany’s

What about Breakfast at Tiffany’s? Well first of all there’s Orangey, the superstar kitty who stole the show with his role as Cat. I added an image of Orangey for good measure :)

Secondly, the divine jewellery worn by Audrey Hepburn.

Although Hepburn did not wear any Tiffany & Co. jewellery in the movie, she wore “The Tiffany Yellow Diamond”, a 128-carat stone cut in a modified cushion-shape featuring 90 facets that was set in Jean Schlumberger’s Ribbon Rosette Necklace while promoting the film.

And with that, let's bring out the diamonds in our personal collection and take time to appreciate them this month!

❤️,
Jennifer