As a leading fine jewelry house, Cartier has seen its famous jewelry and diamonds appear in numerous films over the decades. Their pieces have been loaned to film productions; stars have worn their own Cartier jewelry that they couldn’t bear to leave off-screen; and the house has even designed costume jewelry to create that cinematic magic.
Creating a character means shaping their personality, their choices, and, of course, their tastes. For decades, Cartier has used its jewelry to enhance film characters—iconic and memorable characters with exquisite taste.
The long necklace from The Great Gatsby
In the movie The Great Gatsby In the 1974 film, the character of Daisy Buchanan, played by Mia Farrow, embodies the high society of the Roaring Twenties, adorned with Art Deco pieces by Cartier. Several pieces of jewelry were loaned for the film, including a long necklace adorned with an 86.71-carat carved emerald and pearls. From the Cartier collection, this 1925 piece reflects the extravagant lifestyle of Daisy and her social circle.
Costume designer Theoni V. Aldredge received an Oscar for her work on the film. Cartier’s original Art Deco pieces helped convince audiences of the film’s period authenticity. This Cartier long necklace was recently featured at Christie’s, where it sold for approximately 783,000 $ CAD.
High Society – Grace Kelly's engagement ring
The iconic actress Grace Kelly traded the silver screen for a life of luxury while filming her last movie High Society in 1954. Her fiancé, the Prince of Monaco, gave her a Cartier ring set with a 10.48-carat emerald-cut diamond, flanked by two slender baguettes, mounted in platinum. This spectacular piece was added as a prop, as Kelly couldn’t bear to part with it during the filming.
In the movie, as her character wavers between three suitors, she nonchalantly polishes the diamond with a leaf while admiring it. It’s hard to ignore such a striking engagement ring; a few lines were even added to the film to draw even more attention to it.
The luxurious diamond captured on screen sparked envy and curiosity among viewers, who were fascinated by the romantic and royal future awaiting the woman who would become a princess.
Collaboration Ocean’s 8
Cartier's most recent collaboration with the film industry was for the blockbuster movie Ocean’s 8. The house created the fictional Toussaint necklace, named in honor of Jeanne Toussaint, Cartier’s creative director in the 1930s.
This necklace is inspired by an original piece from 1931 commissioned for the Maharaja of Nawanagar. The necklace was centered around the Queen of Holland diamond, a spectacular 136.25-carat blue-white diamond.
The original necklace featured a stunning selection of colored diamonds, with the bluish stone at the base. Cartier retained the original design but scaled it down, as the original piece was still far too large to be worn by a single person. The scaled-down result produced a piece perfectly suited to the character portrayed by Anne Hathaway.
Even though the necklace in the movie didn’t feature the 481 carats of diamonds found in the original, the cubic zirconia, white gold, and the magic of cinema were enough to convince many viewers that the Toussaint was real.
Cartier Heritage
Cartier is one of the world's most renowned fine jewelry houses. Its legacy has been a part of Hollywood for decades. It is a perfect blend of Hollywood glamour and the brilliance of diamonds.
