It seems that celebrities cannot be seem out in public these days without the requisite amount of bling on show. Film stars like Elizabeth Hurley and Scarlett Johansen are always seen on the red carpet with something sparkly on their wrists or around their necks and pop stars like Pink and Madonna look naked without jewlellery somewhere about their person. Necklaces, rings, bracelets and tiaras are as important to those who inhabit the world of showbiz as shoes and socks.
Jewellery of this kind was once the preserve of royalty. It was a show of power and wealth and displayed to the rest of the world your standing in society. The more jewels, the more important a person was. It was perhaps inevitable then that when cinema came along, with its larger than life film stars, it too would look to jewellery as a means to illustrate its power and dazzle its audiences.
During the period of Hollywood film making that is often called the Golden Era the studios had a much tighter hold on the stars than they do today. It was a time when actors were contracted to studios. It could be seen as slavery in many respects but for stars that toed the line the rewards were incredible.
Actors and actresses were completely at the beck and call of studios. Sometimes careers were mad and destroyed on the whim of an angry executive or vicious gossip but for those that played the game there was a life of luxury that most of us can only imagine. The studio might have dictated how you dressed, the way you wore your hair and even who you were seen with but they were always the best tailored and designed clothes, the latest and most attractive hair styles and the most glamorous and beautiful companions.
The studios had to make sure that whenever their stars were seen in public they portrayed an image that was in keeping with what the studio executives had designed for them. Jewellery played a large part in this. Men wore the best gold watches and cufflinks while the women wore huge diamond rings and tiaras. The effect was to make the stars as seductive and exciting off screen as they were on screen.
Actresses like Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo and Audrey Hepburn were groomed by the studios in this way and, as a result, became huge popular stars with reputations for being beautiful off screen and equally as glamorous of it. Wearing a diamond necklace transformed Marlene Dietrich into a savvy, confident siren while a diamond tiara turned Audrey Hepburn into a Princess. Hollywood was as good at creating make believe off the screen as it was at creating it on the screen.
Some of the most thrilling and exciting performances by these type of actresses from this period were made even more memorable by the use of costume and jewellery. Items like lavish dresses and sparkling tiaras all emphasized an image that studios were trying to give to the viewing public of their stars. One of the most successful and also, in retrospect, unusual of these was Audrey Hepburn’s performance in Breakfast At Tiffany’s.
Based on the Truman Capote novella, the film managed to leave cinema audiences with the feeling that Hepburn’s character was wholesome and sophisticated. Her performance is often imitated and the image of Hepburn in that film has achieved iconic status. Given that the book included prostitution, gangsters and morally dubious characters this was no mean feat. Amazing what a black dress, cigarette holder and tiara can do for your image!
About the author of this article:
dominic donaldson is an expert in the jewellery industry.
find out more about tiaras and jewellery.
