85 Years of Decadence: The 5 Most Expensive Oscar Jewels
Every year, celebrities splash out on designer dresses and top-of-the-line accessories for the annual Academy Awards, but some of the most stunning pieces you’ll see traipsing down the red carpet aren’t fashioned from fabric, but diamonds and semi-precious gems. Through the 85 years of the Oscars presentation, movie stars have displayed some of the most breathtaking jewels on the planet. Here are five of the most expensive ever worn.
Angelina Jolie
Arriving for the 82nd Academy Awards in a floor-sweeping ebony strapless dress by designer Elie Saab, Angelina Jolie commanded your attention with her almost $3.5 million worth of eye-watering bling. Designed by Lorraine Schwartz, the 115 carat emerald earrings and 65 carat matching ring combination were the undisputed highlight of the evening.
Kate Winslet
Just a year later, Kate Winslet had your jaw dropping with her collection of $3.5 million worth of classic Tiffany baubles, including a necklace, earrings and bracelets of a sunny canary yellow, which perfectly complemented her figure-hugging Yves Saint Laurent gown.
Nicole Kidman
Moving up in opulence, but back in time, Nicole Kidman paraded her nearly $7 million of finery in your face at the 2008 Oscars. The cascading diamond necklace by L’Wren Scott had over 7600 individual stones and 1400 carats. The black Balenciaga dress was merely an upscale backdrop.
Anne Hathaway
2010 was definitely a year of ostentatious jewelry, as Anne Hathaway gave Kate Winslet a run for her money in a $10 million Tiffany & Co. diamond necklace that was both simple and stunning. Perched above her vivacious Valentino red dress, the necklace was the all-around winner that year.
Gloria Stuart
Though all those previous accessories no doubt have you seething with envy, the most glorious—and expensive—jewelry ever worn was the sapphire and diamond Titanic necklace by Harry Winston, as featured by Gloria Stuart at the 1998 Academy Awards. It was reportedly worth $20 million.
The movies and the movie stars are the main draw of the Oscars telecast, but it’s also the prime moment to catch your favorite celebrities brandishing the kinds of jewels even royals dream of. Perhaps the 2013 Academy Awards will offer an even more impressive selection.
Ashley B for Raymond Lee Jewelers, premiere fine jewelry and luxury watch boutique and buyer.