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Jewelry at the 77th Academy Awards
09/06/10
In true Oscar tradition, the 2005 Academy Awards drew attention not only to
the stars and their films, but to celebrity fashion. Clearly the biggest influence
on attendees' clothing and jewelry styles was the successful film The Aviator,
a biopic about late millionaire Howard Huges, starring Leanardo Di Carprio and
Cate Blanchett. The film is set in 1930s and 1940s Hollywood, and the characters
are adorned in classic "Old Hollywood" style - a trend repeated by
star after star who walked down the Oscars red carpet.
Earrings like those worn at the 2005 Oscars - click for info
Gwyneth Paltrow wore diamond earrings in a teardrop design very similar to
this affordable pair by Emitations.[Offsite link]
Most celebrities attending the Oscars - especially the nominees - captured
the style of the 30s and 40s with fine diamond jewelry and other big, sparkly,
expensive gemstones. Ironically, most jewelry of the real Old Hollywood era,
especially that manufactured during World War II, did not contain diamonds or
even precious metals. It was the first true costume jewelry era, with glitzy
necklaces, bracelets, brooches and earrings made with glass rhinestones and
other imitation gems, often set in non-precious base metals.
The costume jewelry of the 30s and 40s typically was oversized - that is, the
pieces were purposefully larger than their classic, fine-jewelry counterparts.
But the 2005 Oscars saw lots of oversized 1940s-influenced designs featuring
genuine diamonds and gems. According to reporter Claudia Parsons (writing for
Reuters), some "jewels [were] so over the top they looked fake."
There were exceptions to the "real, not fake" rule at the awards,
however. Take for example the humungous clear stone necklace worn by Beyonce
in her performance of a song from the film Phantom of the Opera. This necklace
was gigantic, with enormous stones in clusters surrounding her neck, with a
separate (huge in itself) gemmed drop component that nearly reached her navel.
Many post-Oscars commentators criticized Beyonce for wearing a "diamond"
necklace that looked like a "chandelier" and was the largest "she
could find."
In reality, this necklace did not belong to Beyonce and was not made of diamonds.
It was custom-designed for the Phantom of the Opera film, where it was worn
by actress Emmy Rossum - or by Minnie Driver, depending on the source. Its stones
are Swarovski® crystal glass - not gemstones at all. According to New York
Post Online Edition, the necklace was flown from its home in Paris to Los Angeles
specially for Beyonce's Academy Awards performance.
Some other eye-catching jewels worn to the 2005 Oscars:
- Cate Blenchett wore a yellow diamond and emerald brooch by designer Lorraine
Schwartz at the upper corner of her dress. It's reported value is $250,000.
- Drew Barrymore also wore a Lorraine Schwartz brooch with diamonds, valued
at $65,000. (Drew wore the brooch on the back of her dress. Hopefully this didn't
cause her too much pain when she had to sit in a high-backed chair.)
-Natalie Portman wore a diamond-encrusted head band in her hair (value not
available).
-Penelope Cruz wore yellow diamond earrings, a yellow diamond ring and a pair
of emerald-cut diamond bracelets by Chopard (value not available).
-Ziyi Zhang, an award presenter, wore a multi-layer Y-necklace encrusted with
diamonds by Bulgari (value not available).
-Depending on the source, Scarlett Johansson donned either a jeweled 19th-century
tiara by Fred Leighton - or a set of three vintage brooches in her hair (value
not available).
-Kate Winslet wore long multi-diamond and coordinating wide-linked bracelets
(which almost looked like cuffs), designed by Neil Lane. Rumor has it that the
matching jewels adorning Kate's gown were also by Neil Lane. (According to People,
the jewelry wasn't completed until the night before the Oscars ceremony.)
-Emmy Rossum wore a classically designed, yet showy, ruby and diamond necklace
with matching earrings by Harry Winston (value unavailable).
- Beyonce wore gigantic jeweled chandelier earrings (probably genuine diamonds)
when she arrived at the ceremony and walked the red carpet. These were designed
by Lorraine Schwartz (value not available).
Beyonce wasn't the only girl at the Oscars donning oversized, glitzy chandelier
earrings. Giant jeweled chandeliers in various geometric shapes, many encrusted
with genuine diamonds, were everywhere. Most were long enough to dust the shoulders
of their glamorous wearers. (Is this definitive evidence that chandeliers are
still in fashion? Perhaps . . .).
Next week: How Jewelry Gets to the Oscars and other Celebrity Events - We'll
take a look at how celebrities decide which jewelry to wear to the Academy Awards
and other big, highly-publicized events - and the lengths new and established
designers are willing to go to get their jewelry into the hands of those celebrities.
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