The Five Most Iconic Movie Necklaces

The most central element of any heist movie is the object being heisted. Without that you just have a bunch of crooks kind of wandering around wondering what it is they’re doing there.

In Ocean’s 8, opening this week, the specialists assembled by Sandra Bullock’s Debbie Ocean are after a one-of-a-kind necklace being worn to the Met Gala by a vain actress played by Anne Hathaway. The massive piece of jewelry is worth enough that each member of the crew stands to walk away with $16.5m once the necklace is fenced.

The focus on the necklace in the movie’s trailers got me wondering: What are some of the other most famous and well-known necklaces in movies?

To Catch A Thief

The necklace worn by Grace Kelly’s Frances in this classic Hitchcock thriller aren’t singularly relevant to the story, other than the fact that they’re part of her attempted seduction of John Robie (Cary Grant), whom she believes to be a famous cat burglar stalking the south of France. Still, it’s hard to argue that the jewels she wears make a strong impression, especially combined with literally everything else about her.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

When you think of this Marilyn Monroe/Jane Russell musical the first image that likely comes to mind is Monroe in her pink dress with a substantial necklace singing and dancing to “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend.” They are the subject being addressed in the song and form the object of her desire, the reason women are attracted to men with money. The crystals on the necklace were produced by the world-famous Swarovski company and recreated by Chopard at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival for the movie’s anniversary.

Anna Karenina

Keira Knightley gets some serious dresses in this steamy adaptation of the book that’s more interested in the court politics of late-1800s Russia and the necklaces she sports are a big part of that. Jewelry company Chanel loaned the production $2m worth of diamonds and other goods, some of which went into those necklaces. Replicas of those pieces were part of a collection offered by Banana Republic at the time the movie was released.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

It’s only natural that this one make the cut given the jewelry company’s name is in the title of the movie. Still, it’s notable that star Audrey Hepburn doesn’t actually wear any jewelry from the retailer in the movie. She did, though, sport the one-of-a-kind Tiffany Diamond, set in a Jean Schlumberger necklace, in publicity photos, making her one of only two women to ever do so.

Titanic

I’m legally obligated to mention The Heart of the Ocean here, though I don’t feel good about myself for doing so. It’s mostly there to make the characters interesting and give them something to fight over, something James Cameron’s screenplay spectacularly fails to do. Still, it *is* a famous movie necklace even if it’s 100% less memorable than any of the others mentioned above.

What other favorites did I miss?

Chris Thilk is a freelance writer and content strategist who lives in the Chicago suburbs.