Rock Stars: Jewelry On the Red Carpet

Hollywood is renowned for glitz and glamor – and red carpet events are already dazzling, with a star-studded cast arriving to pose for the cameras and field questions from interviewers. Over the years, many of Hollywood’s best-known celebrities have opted to add a little extra sparkle to their outfits.

Most casual pieces of jewelry are great for adding a little finesse to an everyday ensemble – but special black tie events such as the Oscars call for something a little more extravagant. From original designs to vintage jewelry harkening back to Hollywood’s golden era, here are the seven of the most notable pieces worn at red carpet events.

1.   Sophia Loren

The Boucheron Question Mark necklace with its unusual clasp-free, almost sculptural design  was originally created in 1889, the unusual, almost sculptural style of Frederick Boucheron’s jewelry continues to be adored by Hollywood’s elite to this day. One of its most notable appearances was in 1955, when Sophica Loren wore hers to the 8th annual Cannes Festival.

2.   Margot Robbie

In keeping with the theme of innovative jewelry design, Margot Robbie’s Van Cleef and Arpels zip necklace turned heads when she wore it to the Academy Awards in 2015. The quirky zip style was originally suggested to the famous jewelry house by the Duchess of Windsor, who had seen the mechanism used in inventive ways by friend Elsa Schiaparelli.

3.   Elizabeth Taylor

Of all the dazzling pieces worn by Taylor throughout her career, arguably the best-known is the 69.42-carat pear diamond ring she wore to the 1970 Oscars. Originally, Taylor’s then-husband Richard Burton sent his representative to purchase the ring with a budget of $1 million, but after being out-auctioned by Cartier eventually managed to buy it back for $1.1 million.

4.   Zoe Kravitz

Another favorite gem worn by Elizabeth Taylor was emerald. In 2018 many Hollywood stars including Zoe Kravitz (who wore a pair of rectangular emerald earrings) wore the gemstone as an ode to the colors worn by the British Suffragettes who fought for women’s right to vote, this time as part of the “Time’s Up” campaign against sexual harassment in the movie industry.

5.   Salma Hayek

Once upon a time, tiaras (inspired by European Royalty) were de rigueur on Hollywood red carpet events, but they eventually fell out of fashion. In 1997, Salma Hayek (debuting as Oscar Presenter) brought back some of that old Hollywood glamor, wearing hers with a sparkling floor-length gown.

6.   Kate Winslet

Unlike the famous necklace as worn by her character Rose in the 1997 blockbuster Titanic (a costume piece based on the $350 million 45.52-carat Hope Diamond), the canary-yellow Tiffany diamond set worn by Kate Winslet to the 2010 Oscars is the real deal, although incidentally, Gloria Stewart (who played an older version of Rose in the movie) wore a $20 million version of the “Heart of the Ocean” necklace to the 1998 Oscars.

7.   Lady Gaga

At the 2019 Academy Awards, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (otherwise known asLady Gaga) became the third person ever to wear the 128-carat Tiffany Diamond (previously worn by Audrey Hepburn and Beyoncé Knowles. Germanotta’s jewelry wasn’t the only thing to dazzle audiences that night: the singer and actress also took home the Oscar for Best Original Song in A Star is Born.

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