And the Timeless Award For Best Oscars Bling Goes to..
Last year, I started a new tradition. I invite my girlfriends over, we eat fattening and indulgent snacks in our pajamas, watch the Academy Awards, and cruelly dissect the attendees’ clothes and jewels (which we’ll never be able to afford). Truthfully, we’re not horribly mean. And most of the gossip is about what we like the best, so unless it’s truly a tragic fashion moment, we’re pretty forgiving. However, since I’m being honest, I have to say that I generally pay more attention to the jewelry than the clothes. I love clothing, and the Oscars is the finest parade of couture you’ll ever see, but it is also a walking showcase of the talents and skills possessed by some of the most brilliant and creative jewelry designers imaginable.
The jewelry that is worn on Oscar night inspires me. To some, my love of jewelry may seem shallow, and that’s fine (they’re wrong, of course, but it’s still fine that they think that). But when you come down to it, jewelry is made by taking raw materials from the earth and refining them, coaxing out their unparalleled beauty. The glimmering result is a wearable reminder that even in the dirt and mess, a phoenix can rise from the ashes. A phoenix made of diamonds.
With all that in mind, I thought it would be fun, since we’re in the thick of awards season (with the Golden Globes illuminating the path to the looming Academy Awards), to take a walk through a handful of the most beautiful works of art from the last 10 years or so. These are my picks for the best in Oscars jewelry.
We’ll start with 2009, because three of my top five are from 2009. I’m not sure what all was happening in 2009, but it was a phenomenal year for jewelry. Let’s start with Amy Adams. In 2009, Amy Adams donned an exquisite Fred Leighton bib necklace. The gorgeous necklace featured 630 carats of cabochon-cut emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. Reminiscent of Cartier’s 1920s and ‘30s tutti-frutti necklaces (that’s the real name; I’m not making it up), this colossal stunner is a 1950s vintage piece.
Also in 2009, Angelina Jolie wore the earrings that are still talked about (and if we’re still drooling over earrings worn eight years ago, you know you’re doing fashion right). We all know them, and love them: the Lorraine Schwartz teardrop shaped emerald earrings. These immense emeralds weighed in at an impressive 115 carats total weight. These sensational earrings are worth a whopping $2.5 million. If you look closely, the earrings appear to almost have an other-worldly, ethereal glow. That’s because the light gets sort of trapped in the emerald’s inclusions. Emeralds often have inclusions that make them appear cloudy, but it can work to the jewelry’s benefit if the stones are properly showcased, as they are in these earrings.
Also wearing Lorraine Schwartz at that same Academy Awards was Heidi Klum. The German-American supermodel, clothing designer, and shrewd businesswoman wore a suite of blackened platinum jewelry containing diamonds and coral. I adore coral in jewelry, because it’s not usually high on the list of things you’d expect to find in fine jewelry. But it is beautiful, lustrous, and, being a natural product, has intriguing color variations and patterns. The collection, which was comprised of earrings, rings, and half and armload of bangle bracelets, are reportedly worth around $900,000.
The next year, in 2010, Kate Winslet gets my nod. Her epic canary yellow and white diamond y-shaped necklace takes the cake. The necklace, custom designed from Tiffany & Co., strongly favors art deco design, which isn’t surprising since it’s from Tiffany & Co. From the somewhat chunky white diamond encrusted chain hang two six-carat yellow diamonds. From there, the sun was captured and placed in a pendant. Exaggeration? Maybe. But it sure looked like a sun, with a 13 carat yellow diamond centered in a starburst pattern of white diamonds. This beauty is estimated to have a $2.5 million valuation.
Last but certainly not least, another Kate: Cate Blanchett. Now, Cate Blanchett’s personal style and red carpet looks usually land her on the best-dressed lists, and for good reason: her looks are refreshing, bold, and unmistakably “her.” I tend to love her style (even in 2011, when her lavender and yellow Givenchy Couture dress left some others scratching their heads). But it 2015, she was a knockout. She wore a streamlined John Galliano black dress, which perfectly showed off her Tiffany & Co. bib necklace. This bib, although it contained emerald-cut, round brilliant cut, and square-cut diamonds and the light blue gemstone aquamarine, prominently features turquoise. Like coral, turquoise holds a special place in my heart for being at once beautiful and underrated in fine jewelry. This Tiffany specimen relied on cabochon-cut turquoise to deliver the most beguiling bib necklace I’ve ever laid eyes on.
So those are the jewels on my short list for the best Oscar jewelry. Let me know your favorites by commenting below. And with the 89th Academy Awards just a little while away, soon we will have more jewelry gossip to chew on!
Jewelry is always the winner,
Rebecca
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