Famous Movie Diamonds

Diamonds have long been associated with romance and the good life. It’s no surprise that films that deal with both subjects have often centered around diamonds, or at least had a prominent place in the script for the precious gems. From the most sweeping, epic romances to rollicking comedies, diamonds have long been a plot device.

The 1997 film Titanic starred Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet in the role of Rose Dewitt Bukater. A young woman who came from enormous wealth and who was engaged to something of a cad, she was presented a diamond gem of incredible value as a gift for her engagement. The character Winslet played was given a diamond that was valuable even by the standards of precious gems. The gem, a blue diamond set in a necklace amidst numerous smaller diamonds, was based upon the legendary Hope Diamond. A recreation of the diamond was created and worn by Celine Dion, who sang the title track from the movie at the Academy Awards. The necklace, created by the jewelers Asprey and Gerrard, used a sapphire in place of the blue diamond and sold for $2.2 million at auction. The total carats of the gemstones used in the recreation was 30 carats of diamond and 170 carats of sapphire.

Alfred Hitchcock, though certainly not typically associated with romance, was behind one of the most famous diamond-based thrillers Hollywood has ever produced, To Catch a Thief. Cary Grant played a retired jewel thief who was cast under suspicion when the French Riviera became the site of several jewel thefts. Fortunately, he endeared himself to a wealthy young woman, played by Grace Kelly, who didn’t believe that Grant was culpable for the thefts. In this film, while the diamonds serve to symbolize both the wealth of the setting and of the main characters, they also serve to make it obvious that the stakes are very high for Grant.

Not all jewel thieves find themselves in a high-stakes, intense situation as did Grant. One of the most famous movie diamonds is the Pink Panther, another diamond loosely based on the Hope Diamond, which was the titular gem of the classic 1964 movie and the recent remake. In these films, the bumbling Inspector Clouseau is tasked with stopping The Phantom, a jewel thief extraordinaire who has set his sights on stealing the fabulous gem. The Pink Panther got its name from a flaw in the diamond, a small, pinkish coloration in the gem which, when viewed from a certain angle, was shaped something like one of the great cats. Perfect diamonds are a very rare occurrence in nature and some of the most famous ones are as well known for such characteristic flaws as they are for their beauty and size.

If one even mentions the word “diamond” there are two phrases that come instantly to mind: “Diamonds are Forever”, widely regarded as the most successful and enduring marketing slogan ever created; and, “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend”. As enduring in her image of glamour and beauty as are diamonds themselves is Marilyn Monroe, the screen legend who sang the song from which the latter term stems in the 1953 film “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”. In the film, Marilyn’s character is about to marry into wealth, if little else, and takes a trip to France. The film is essentially a comedy but the image of Marilyn, draped in diamonds and pink silk singing the famous song is as iconic an image of her as any. It’s probably one of the most imitated scenes in movie history. One of the most most famous imitations was Madonna’s video for her hit “Material Girl” in which the singer does an almost exact rendition of the original staging to her own song.

The 2000 film “Snatch” starring Brad Pitt chronicled the misadventures of several different criminals as they chased after a priceless diamond. As in “To Catch a Thief” and “The Pink Panther”, the addition of diamonds to the plot makes it apparent that there is a great deal of money on the line for both the heroes and the villains.

Not only bumbling French detectives, glamorous sex symbols and elegant Princesses-to-be have been featured in films centered around diamonds. The suave, wise-cracking British secret service agent James Bond himself was pitted against a diamond-obsessed super-villain in one of the franchise’s most famous films, Diamonds are Forever. In this film, Bond infiltrates a criminal organization dealing in diamonds, Of course, every bit as hard as the gemstones himself, Bond proves over and over again how indestructible he is and, much like a diamond, survives the worst without a scratch.