Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Clichéd as this may sound, it is nonetheless reliable. In the course of history, there have been famous diamonds as memorable and unique as the women that that wore them. Here are a few graphics, minimalist style, of our favorites. See if you can guess the wearers and, for real diamond aficionados, the diamonds they wear. A word of caution: the diamonds on this list are off the market. Way way off. They’re iconic and legendary, after all.
(When you’ve had a chance to guess and are ready to read about the image, just hover over the blocked out text and the text will show. Like this: The text is gray until you hover over it.)
Taylor-Burton Diamond:
Elizabeth Taylor is famous for a lot of things: an illustrious career in films; the number of times she got married and divorced; an unlikely friendship with Michael Jackson; and her twice-vowed romance with the equally famous Richard Burton, which spawned (no, not a child, because that’d be less fancy and more expensive) the legendary—Taylor Burton Diamond. Cut by famed jeweler Harry Winston, the Taylor-Burton Diamond weighs 68 carats and was previously owned by Harriet Annenberg Ames. After the couple’s second divorce, because apparently, even diamonds can’t salvage a crumbling marriage, the diamond was sold to Harry Lambert, and the proceeds of which were used to build a hospital in Botswana.
The Tiffany Diamond:
The film Breakfast at Tiffany’s has immortalized three icons: Audrey Hepburn, her little black dress, and the 128.53 carat Tiffany Yellow Diamond, which Ms. Hepburn wore for the film’s promotional photos (unfortunately, the donut and coffee combo Ms. Hepburn was nursing at the beginning of the film don’t make the cut). The Tiffany Yellow Diamond is said to have been worn only by two women in the course of its existence—Audrey Hepburn herself and a certain Mrs. Sheldon Whitehouse who happens to be ungoogleable, perhaps due to her not being as cute as America’s original sweetheart.
The Moon of Baroda:
Marilyn Monroe, silver screen’s original bombshell, was undeniably a cut above the rest, compared to our generation’s run-of-the-mill sex symbols—think the Kardashians. For one, with Ms. Monroe, wearing a fancy diamond doesn’t cheapen it. Take for instance when she wore the Moon of Baroda Diamond- a 24.04 carat pear-shaped diamond- on the films Diamond Are a Girl’s Best Friend and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Imagine Kim Kardashian wearing the same stone and the image will mostly like be worthy of nothing more than a post on TMZ online.
The Coronation Necklace:
The Queen may be past her youth but the iconic diamond she regularly wears around her neck is far from being outdated. The likes of Paris Hilton or any of the Kardashians can never give justice to this one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry that has withstood time and turmoils much like its owner. The Coronation Necklace—comprised of 26 substantial diamonds set in silver, gold and platinum – is indeed the most fitting metaphor for one of the world’s most revered monarchs: extravagant and indestructible. The monarchy may have lost most of its colonies but it has undoubtedly retained its illustriousness, and of course, its riches.
The Garrad Blue Sapphire:
Handed down to the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton from Diana, Princess of Wales, as an engagement ring from Prince Williams, this iconic jewel is both precious and historical owing to the noteworthy life of its previous owner. A fine amalgam of 14 solitaire diamonds, 12-carat oval blue Ceylon sapphire, and 18-karat white gold, this engagement ring is a hundred times more popular, photographed, and valued than (perhaps) 2/3 of the world’s population.
The Heart of the Ocean:
A person who hasn’t seen the blockbuster movie Titanic is most likely living under a stone, in a cave at the deepest end of the ocean. And a person who doesn’t remember the Heart of the Ocean Diamond, the only thing Kate Winslet’s Rose wore while Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack drew her nakedness, is mostly likely, well, not a creep. Although fictional, this heart-shaped diamond has inspired countless reproductions and shall forever remain as one of cinema’s most precious metaphors.
