NEWS

Jewellery and cinema or cinema and jewellery. Jewellery has been present on the big screen as a necessary resource to generate identity and strengthen the characters of the seventh art. We take a brief look at the special relationship between these two creative disciplines, so different and yet so close.

Jewellery has always had a leading role in the world of cinema. Since the early days of the seventh art, decorators and art directors have found in jewellery a tool for constructing the films’ characters, using some emblematic pieces to strengthen the identity of the roles developed by actors.

At the same time cinema has become a source of inspiration for many artisan jewellers. Jewellery and cinema have often worked hand in hand, where creativity and the desire to transmit emotions have become shared paths.

Thus, jewellery has taken centre stage in some of the most iconic scenes of contemporary cinema. We can find many examples of how jewellery has served to transmit and give personality to the characters that have thrilled us on the big screen.

One of the items of jewellery that has most marked the recent history of cinema in Titanic. The film directed by James Cameron and starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio was made famous for becoming the film with the record numbers of Oscars in their history (sharing top place with Ben-Hur and Lord of the Rings). But in the field of jewellery the film also stood out for the famous Heart of the Ocean that Kate Winslet wore. The Heart of the Ocean necklace, with a large blue central zirconia, is based on the famous Hope Diamond of 45.52 carats, a stone full of myths and legends and which is said to be cursed. The original diamond became the property of the French King Louis XIV and has been kept in the Smithsonian Museum since 1958.

To find a piece of jewellery that has as much prominence as the Heart of the Ocean in Titanic, we must move on to The Lord of the Rings. The very name of the film shows us the importance that jewellery has, in this case a ring, throughout the trilogy. Known as “the ring of power”, this piece becomes the central theme of the film, which narrates the journey of two hobbits to destroy it in the mountain of Fire. The ring, which is fictitious, is inspired by the ring of Sylvanus, dated in the 4th century and found in England. The ring of Sylvanus is a large solid gold ring, 25 mm in diameter and weighing 12 grams. 

The rubies of Pretty Woman

The romantic comedy Pretty Woman, directed by Garry Marshall and starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, has the honour of showing on scene one of the most valuable pieces of jewellery in the history of cinema. It is the iconic white gold necklace with 23 rubies surrounded by diamonds that Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) gave Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts). A necklace valued at 250,000 dollars, a design of “Heart within the Heart”.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s and its emblematic pearl necklace

The selection of iconic jewellery from the cinema closes with the emblematic pearl necklace from the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The actor Audrey Hepburn, who plays the young Holly Golighty, features in a famous scene having breakfast in front of a jeweller’s with a four-stranded pearl necklace made up of 120 pearls. .

Cinema as a source of inspiration in jewellery: the case of Majoral

On the other hand, some of these famous films have also served as a source of inspiration for the creation of contemporary and signature jewellery. This is the case of Enric Majoral, who let his imagination run free in the workshop with references such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s, To Catch a Thief, or Gentlemen prefer Blondes. As a result of this inspiration, the Catalan contemporary jeweller produced the “Cinema jewellery” collection; a series of pieces of jewellery that emerged from the collaboration between Majoral and the Eleventh International Festival of Film Noir of Manresa in 2009. 

With the desire of contributing to the role of jewellery as an artistic and social discipline, the collection consisted of six brooches in silver and gold, and illuminated with paint. One more example of the capacity of expression that contemporary jewellery possesses.

Majoral, present in the festival of Catalan cinema

Jewellery and the cinema also find common ground in galas, festivals and awards of the seventh art. We find an example in the gala of the Gaudí Awards, which form the major recognitions in the Catalan cinema industry. For the gala the stars usually look to Catalan jewellery brands to wear during the celebration of the awards.

Isona Passola wearing a necklace from the Baladre de Majoral collection

For some years now, as a result of the collaboration between the Catalan Film Academy and the Professional Association of Jewellers, Goldsmiths, Watchmakers and Gemmologists of Catalonia (JORGC), Catalan jewellery has had an outstanding presence at the gala. It is common to see well-known faces from Catalan cinema wearing Majoral’s jewellery. The filmmaker Isona Passola, and actors such as Maria Molins, Clara Segura or Mercè Sampietro wore Majoral pieces in the Gaudí Awards gala, with pieces from the Flô, Party or Maiko collections, among others. Jewellery and cinema, as disciplines capable of creating and transmitting, have a very special link, which will last over time.