Iconic Jewelry In Film - Part 1

The symbiotic relationship between jewelry designers, movie stars, and Hollywood goes back to the beginning of film, before sound and color, when all the films were silent and in black and white. They depended heavily on shadows and light to capture the imagination of an audience. Without the sparkle and glamor of extravagant diamonds and other precious gemstones, the stories wouldn’t have come to life on screen in such a vibrant and compelling way. 

In this series, I’ll highlight some of the most beautiful and iconic pieces of jewelry throughout film history. The pieces are often awe inspiring examples from a huge variety of sources. At times they are on loan from jewelry houses or owned by the actress herself. 

Part 1 Films

1. Anna May Wong in Pavement Butterfly

2. Jean Harlow in Dinner at Eight

3. Mae West in She Done Him Wrong

4. Claudette Colbert in The Gilded Lily

5. Olivia de Havilland in The Adventures of Robin Hood

The Diamond Tiara in Pavement Butterfly (1928)

Wong plays a dancer in the French Riviera who finds refuge in the arms of a young painter after her act takes a deadly turn. 

Director: Richard Eichberg

Writers: Hans Kyser & Adolf Lantz

Costume Designer: Unknown

Anna May Wong was the first Chinese-American movie star. Born Wong Liu Tsong on January 3, 1905, in Los Angeles, California, to laundryman Wong Sam Sing and his wife, Lee Gon Toy, Wong loved the movies and would skip school to watch films as a child. She hunted down local movie shoots and begged to be in the film. By the age of 14, she had her first uncredited role in The Red Lantern (1919). 

Wong appeared in over 60 films before passing away in 1961 from a heart attack. Her diamond tiara in Pavement Butterfly sparkles and catches the smoke-filled light of the room in this black and white silent film. You can watch this film for free on Youtube.

Iconic Line: None. This is a silent film, but there are endless iconic facial expressions and subtitles in German. 

The Art Deco Diamond Bracelets in Dinner at Eight (1933)

Harlow plays Kitty Packard, a dinner guest to Millicent and Oliver Jordan, who have invited a small group of wealthy and/or well-born acquaintances.

Director: George Cukor

Writers: Frances Marion, Herman J. Mankiewicz, George S. Kaufman

Costume Designer: Adrian Greenburg

Born March 3, 1911, in Kansas City, Missouri, Jean Harlow lived a short but glamorous life. She was known for her bad girl persona and was a sex symbol of the 1930s. Harlow was married three times by the time she was 22, with her second husband dying after only two months under mysterious and disputed circumstances. However, Harlow was not suspected of foul play and married again the following year. She died at 26 after a slew of health complications that culminated in kidney failure in 1937. 

Harlow wears stacked diamond bracelets in Dinner at Eight. Her trophy-wife character is the embodiment of 1930's art deco glamor. In one scene, Kitty lounges in an extravagant bedroom eating chocolate and wearing an enormous pearl and diamond ring as she leans against an oversized satin heart pillow. You can currently rent this film on streaming services for $3.99.

Iconic Line: “I've told you a million times not to talk to me when I'm doing my lashes!”

The Diamond Jewelry in She Done Him Wrong (1933)

West is a New York City nightclub owner and singer being pursued by a jealous escaped convict and a temperance league member played by a young Cary Grant.

Director: Lowell Sherman

Writers: Mae West, Harvey F. Thew, John Bright

Costume Designer: Edith Head

Born August 17, 1893, in Brooklyn, New York, to Mathilde Delker, a corset model, and John Patrick "Battlin' Jack", a prizefighter and later "special policeman", Mae West was performing professionally on vaudeville by the age of 14. In 1918, she became well known for her performance in the revue Sometime as the character Mayme. Her picture was put on the sheet music for her character's popular song from the revue called "Everybody Shimmies Now". 

West was arrested and spent eight days serving out a sentence on Roosevelt Island for "corrupting the morals of youth" after she wrote a play called Sex in 1926 when she was 33 years old. The incident raised her public profile and she continued to write plays until 1932 when, at the age of 40, she took up Paramount on an offer for a lucrative film contract. 

She Done Him Wrong was West's second film and grossed enough money to save Paramount from bankruptcy. West owned the diamond necklace and bracelets seen in the film, later selling most of them to help support the war effort. You can currently rent this film on streaming services.

Iconic Line: “I'm sorry you think more of my soul than you do of my diamonds.” 

The Star of Burma Ruby & Diamond Art Deco Necklace in The Gilded Lily (1935)

Colbert plays a stenographer who becomes a famed entertainer and is courted by an English nobleman and an American reporter.

Director: Wesley Ruggles

Writers: Claude Binyon, Jack Kirkland, Melville Baker

Costume Designer: Travis Banton

Born Émilie Chauchoin in France on September 13, 1904, to Jeanne and Georges Chauchoin, Claudette and her family emigrated to Manhattan in 1906 where her parents legally changed her name to Lily Claudette Chauchoin. In 1921, Colbert made her stage debut at the age of 17. Adept at accents, she performed in plays from Chicago to the West End until signing a contract with Paramount in 1928. It was during this time she changed her name again to Claudette Colbert. Colbert found success in Hollywood, starring in 21 films by 1933. In 1934 she won an Oscar for Best Actress in the film It Happened One Night. 

Colbert’s necklace in The Gilded Lily was made by New York City jeweler Trabert & Hoeffer. The piece could be disassembled and worn as a bracelet, a brooch, and even a tiara. The centerpiece, an 83 ct. ruby known as the Star of Burma, could double as a cocktail ring. Trabert & Hoeffer-Mauboussin last sold the ruby on September 14, 2004 for an unknown amount. This film is not currently available for streaming.

Iconic Line: “I want a glass. About this big. Mmm, no, maybe about THIS big. And I don't care what you put in it--whiskey, hair tonic, rat poison--but whatever it is, when I finish drinking it, I want to be curled up in a little heap, right HERE.” 

The Silver Double Hand Brooch in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

 

De Havilland plays the lovely Maid Marian, who is rescued from the castle dungeons by her true love Robin Hood.

Directors: Michael Curtiz, William Keighley

Writers: Norman Reilly Raine, Seton I. Miller, Rowland Leigh

Costume Designer: Milo Anderson

Olivia Mary de Havilland was born on July 1, 1916, in Tokyo, Japan to British parents, Lilian Augusta (Ruse), a former actress, and Walter Augustus de Havilland, an English professor and patent attorney. Her sister Joan Fontaine was also a famous actress. She first starred in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) after director Max Reinhardt spotted her performance in the stage version of the show at Mills College in Oakland and brought the story to life on screen. 

After coming together in the academy award nominated swashbuckler film Captain Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood would become one of eight films she starred in with Errol Flynn. In total, De Havilland starred in 49 films, including Gone with the Wind. The unique silverplated double brooch with hand motif she wears in Robin Hood sold at auction for $3,890. You can watch this film for free on Tubi.

Iconic Line: “How dare you. I'm the royal ward of King Richard, and no one but the King himself has the right to condemn me to death.”

Part 2 is up now.