When Audrey Hepburn turned Tiffany and Co. into a breakfast diner, she changed the face of the luxury jewellery retailer forever.Women all over the globe collectively hoped and prayed their next breakfasts would come served with a sparkling diamond purchase, packaged in a little blue box.
Hepburn played Holly Golightly in the highly-popular 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The movie was a perfect prototype of how careful product placement in films can generate a whirlwind of enthusiasm for the jewellery industry. Following its release, Tiffany and Co. shot to worldwide fame, while the film and its stars became instant icons.
In stark contrast, the 2006 film, Blood Diamond saw retail jewellers bracing themselves for a flood of consumers demanding quality “conflict-free” diamonds upon its release. Although the issue did not arise, it illustrated how films can really influence consumer perceptions and trends in the jewellery industry.
Since man created film, jewellery – particularly diamonds – has played a starring role on the silver screen that has impacted audiences the world over. Breakfast at Tiffany’s was no exception.
When Holly expressed her undying infatuation for Tiffany’s, the store would have jumped for joy knowing the rewards the worldwide franchise would reap. It was, after all, the best promotion money can’t buy.
Today, the image of Hepburn peering into the Tiffany windows as lived-on long after the credits rolled on that first screening – as has the ever-lasting classic quote, “I’m crazy about Tiffany’s.” It was these lines that turned the store into an instant icon.
Decades later, Tiffany and Co. continued to shine, featuring in the romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama in 2002. There, a New York fashion designer played by Reese Witherspoon was led into the store, after-hours, for her boyfriend’s proposal.
After accepting his offer, Melanie lived-out every girl’s dream: selecting her the diamond ring of her choice.
Donald Petrie’s 2003 film How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days also captured the attention of jewellery enthusiasts with a storyline based around a diamond advertising campaign.
Andie Anderson (played by Kate Hudson) is a “how-to” columnist for a top women’s magazine called Composure determined to prove herself as a serious journalist. When the opportunity arises to impress her editor with a story offering advice on how to lose a guy in ten days, Andie accepts the challenge: to meet a guy and do everything in her power to scare him away in ten days.
Meanwhile an advertising guru played by Matthew McConaughey is also determined to move from apparel campaigns to diamonds. In an attempt to score a new campaign, Ben announces that he can get a woman to fall in love with a person in 10 days by using a diamond necklace. It wasn’t long after Kate Hudson appeared in the film wearing an 84-carat Harry Winston “Isadora” diamond necklace around her neck that replicas began appearing on eBay.
The 1990 romantic mega-hit Pretty Woman also used a necklace in what has become a well-known scene.
When Edward (Richard Gere) presents Vivienne (Julia Roberts) with that elegant diamond-encrusted choker before he escorts her to the opera, he gives the audience an insight into his feelings.
“Don’t get too excited,” he says, adding, “It’s only on loan,” before, presenting the open box to her.
The necklace appears again once Vivienne has left, when Edward asks the concierge to return it to the store.
“It must be difficult to let go of something so beautiful,” quipped the concierge, obviously referring to both the necklace and Vivienne.
Another memorable movie moment occurs in the 1971 James Bond classic, Diamonds are Forever, which revolves around a large robbery of diamonds from South African mines.
When asked what he knew about diamonds, James Bond (Sean Connery) replies, “Diamonds are the hardest substance found in nature – they cut glass; suggest marriage; I suppose they replaced the dog as the girl’s best friend.”
The use of diamonds as the treasure in the daring heist, rather than cash or gold, was rare for an action film at the time and went some way to educating audiences about the gem’s rarity and value.
There are many films that use jewellery as a significant prop, but this article would be incomplete without reference to perhaps the most famous diamond moment ever.
When Marilyn Monroe sang Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend in the 1953 movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, she delivered a lasting promotional message. Diamonds were central to the story about two lounge singers working their way to Paris on a transatlantic cruise and enjoying the company of any eligible men they might meet. The girls highlighted that diamonds will always remain their true desire, no matter how close a man may get.
“I always say a kiss on the hand might feel very good, but a diamond tiara lasts forever,” Monroe said in a scene that provided the diamond industry with a big shot in the arm.
Jewellery has long been a favoured way for film makers to establish an emotional connection between a leading protagonist and her audience of adoring fans because, whether it’s the star of the show or best supporting actor, bling has character all of its own.