9 Famous Jewels from the Movies

Posted By Christina in

Whether they be real, items of legend, or completely fictitious, jewels from the movies are definitely “the stuff that dreams are made of”. With story arches, background, and in some cases almost a personality all their own, these so called “props” could easily be seen as characters themselves.

Spoiler Alert: “The Maltese Falcon”, “Titanic”, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (The Sorcerer’s Stone), “Romancing the Stone”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “The Dark Crystal”, and “Blood Diamond” plot revealed.

The Maltese Falcon – Several centuries ago, the Knights of Malta would send an annual gift to the king of Spain as tribute for allowing them the use of his land, the Isle of Malta. In the year 1539, the Knights of Malta sent tribute in the form of a jewel-encrusted gold falcon. Unfortunately, en route to Spain, the ship carrying the statue was seized by pirates and the priceless treasure disappeared. In the film “The Maltese Falcon”, detective Sam Spade, played by Humphrey Bogart, must discover the mystery of the falcon as he becomes entwined with a group of veritable thieves who have been on the falcon’s trail for years. In the real world, the falcon is believed to be based on the “Kniphausen Hawk ” a ceremonial pouring vessel made in 1697 for Count Kniphausen.

The Heart of the Ocean – Premiering in 1997’s Titanic, the “Heart of the Ocean” is a large, blue diamond necklace. The diamond itself is said to be from a ring worn by King Louis XVI of France before he was executed. In the film Titanic, it is the diamond that treasure hunter Brock Lovett is searching for when he uncovers the nude sketch of Rose Dukater. When Rose is found to still be alive, she recounts the story of her voyage on the RMS Titanic. The “Heart of the Ocean” had been purchased by Rose’s fiancée, Caledon Hockley as a gift for her. In the end it is revealed that the diamond did not go down with the ship, Rose has had it all this time. The “Heart of the Ocean” is actually based on the “Hope Diamond” a 45.52 carat blue diamond that was part of a larger French crown jewel known as “Tavernier Blue” or “French Blue”. It is currently housed at the Smithsonian.

The Philosopher’s Stone – Sought by Harry Potter in the story that began the series, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”, a.k.a. “The Sorcerer’s Stone” for American audiences, the philosophers stone is an item of legend dating back to the middle ages. The stone was said to have the ability to purify any metal into gold as well as purify any mortal human into an immortal being. In Harry Potter, the dreaded Voldemort seeks the stone in order to regain a physical form in the mortal world. In the end though, Harry Potter defeats his foe and Albus Dumbledore takes the stone away to never be seen again.

Kryptonite – Otherworldly, rarely cut, but indeed a crystal, Kryptonite is the famous weakness of Superman. Depending on its color, kryptonite can do anything from weaken Superman, to alter his personality, to strip him of his powers. Kryptonite first appeared in the Superman radio series in 1943 and moved to the comic books in 1949. As time progressed, the material’s appearance in storylines, along with its physical abundance in the Superman lore, grew to the point where nearly every common street thug had a stash of kryptonite somewhere just in case Superman came flying by. As it stands now, the amount of Kyptonite physically present in the Detective Comics universe has grown and been shrunk several times. In 1971 a story had most of the earth’s Kryptonite turn into iron. Then in the 80’s, after it had regrown, the amount was reduced to one apple-sized piece that had arrived with Superman as a child. Recently, however, several tons of Kryptonite have again crashed onto Earth beginning the cycle again.

The Pink Panther – First appearing in 1963, the large pink diamond known as “The Pink Panther” has had ten films made in its series. The diamond gets its name partially due to its color, but also because of an imperfection inside the gem that resembles a panther when viewed closely. Ironically, “The Pink Panther Diamond” itself has only appeared in half of the films in its series. The mainstay of the franchise is Detective Jacques Clouseau or his son. Doubly ironic, the film series was developed not as a serial for the diamond or Clouseau, but for the character Sir Charles Lytton. Clouseau’s character was so popular that he ultimately took over. The Pink Panther series continues to be developed to this day, with another film scheduled for release in a couple years.

El Corazon – “The stone” in the 1984 film, “Romancing the Stone” A send-up of romance novels, “Romancing the Stone” is the story of a romance writer, Joan Wilder, who finds herself living an adventure that closely resembles the stories she writes in her own novels. Charged with returning a treasure map to free her kidnapped sister in Columbia, Joan ends up teaming with adventurer Jack T. Colton and going after the treasure herself, so the map will be worthless when she and Jack turn it over. The treasure turns out to be “El Corazon”, an emerald the size of a fist. The jewel is the object of desire for several unruly characters who Joan and Jack must outwit if they are to keep the treasure, the most unruly being an emerald-hungry crocodile.

The Sankara Stones – “Fotune and glory, kid… fortune and glory.” The Sankara Stones, are the relics Indiana Jones quests for in the prequel to “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ”. When Indiana Jones arrive in a desolate Indian village, he finds the villagers starving and their children missing. The village elders explain that a mystic relic that protected the village was stolen along with their children by a malicious cult. The relic was one of the Sankara Stones, mystic Siva lingam stones containing diamonds. When the stones are brought together the diamonds within them glow. Heading to Pankot Palace, Indy discovers an evil cult who have gathered three of the five Sankara Stones and are using children they kidnapped to mine for the hidden remaining two. Fighting the cult, Indiana Jones strives to free the children and regain the village’s stone, but as with the other Indiana Jones films, it is the relic itself that ultimately saves Indy.

The Dark Crystal – On the planet Thra, the Crystal of Truth is the focal point of all things. A thousand years ago, when a shard of the crystal was broken off, the crystal was rendered incomplete and became “The Dark Crystal”. At that moment, the world’s protectors, the UrSkeks split into dual beings, one being benevolent mystics, the other, belligerent overlords, who took control of the planet. It was prophesized, however, that when the world’s three suns aligned (an event that wouldn’t happen for a thousand years) the missing shard would be returned to the crystal, thus restoring the Crystal of Truth, the UrSkeks, and the world itself that had fallen into darkness. While the original film, “The Dark Crystal” was released over 25 years ago, a sequel is now in the works along with a manga comic book, video game, and other products tied to the franchise.

Blood Diamond – Blood diamonds are diamonds mined, often by slave labor, in African war zones and then sold to finance those wars. In the film “Blood Diamond”, a Mende fisherman named Solomon Vandy is kidnapped with his son and forced to work in a diamond field while his son is brainwashed into joining the group who kidnapped them. Working in the fields, Solomon discovers a rare pink diamond easily worth millions. Shortly after discovering it, the diamond field is attacked and Solomon is able to hide the gem before he is captured. Solomon ultimately uses his knowledge of the gem’s location to obtain his release, reunite with his son, and reacquire the diamond itself. This is not without sacrifice, however, as many die on Solomon’s journey, and Solomon himself is driven to perform acts even he did not think he was capable of. Reunited with his son and the diamond, Solomon uses his newfound wealth to protect his family and make the world aware of the blood diamond trade happening in his beloved Africa.

It is ironic that while these items may have started their existence as props, the very fame they gained from their movies has often garnered them a value rivaling what they would be worth if they were genuine. The Maltese Falcon prop was sold at auction in 1994 for $398,500. The real falcon props are valued in the millions. After the film “Titanic” was released, several jewelry manufactures producers replica versions of the “Heart of the Ocean”, the most genuine being made by jewelers Asprey & Garrad. Their necklace featured a 170 carat heart shaped sapphire and 65 diamonds. Celine Dion wore it to the 1998 Academy Awards and later became its owner when her husband bought it for her at a charity auction for $2.2 million. Truly “the stuff that dreams are made of”.