Diamonds, emeralds and rubies all made for dazzling red carpet display this year. The majority of these color statements were seen in all manner of exquisite earrings and bracelets, along with the usual gorgeous complement of cocktail rings.
There were other gems, colors and styles of jewelry on the red carpet that merit attention.
One game changer was Julia Roberts’ necklace at the Golden Globes. Her choice was a vintage 1972 long necklace or sautoir from the Van Cleef and Arpels Private Collection, featuring a pendant of citrines surrounded by diamonds and set in 18 karat yellow gold. The warmth of the gemstone-laden pendant beautifully complemented her personal coloring and dazzling smile and perked up her vintage Yves Saint Laurent black dress. In one fell swoop, Roberts embraced the trend of short dresses on the red carpet; introduced long sleeves into the mix, a rarity on the red carpet; made vintage 1970’s jewelry hugely desirable again; gave citrines a starring role, and introduced the viewing public to the term sautoir.
A different style of sautoir without a pendant adorned the neck of Elisabeth Moss at the Golden Globes. She wore a pair of sautoirs by Chopard, one worn doubled and one full-length, incorporating a total of 144 carets of white diamonds, with her light blue off-the-shoulder gown by Amsale. Despite the wattage of those necklaces, note that they played a supporting role relative to the neckline of the gown.
At the SAG Awards, Kate Hudson took the sautoir to the next level, by wearing her diamond necklace by Cartier so that the tasseled pendant hung down her back to emphasize the backless design of her white Emilio Pucci gown. The effect was breathtaking.
Hudson also receives kudos for her selection of jewelry at the Golden Globes, when she accented her gown with eye-catching pearl tassel earrings and a pearl mesh bracelet by Stephen Russell.
Pearls were also gorgeous in combination with white and yellow diamonds in multiple sautoirs and long drop earrings by Chopard worn by Helen Mirren with her stunning silver and bronze ensemble by Badgley Mischka at the SAG Awards. Calista Flockhart wore a platinum necklace with pearls by Cathy Waterman at the Globes; Lauren Sanchez wore a suite of pearls and diamonds at the SAG Awards.
Diamonds appeared in a variety of fancy colors, including yellow (Julie Benz at the Globes wearing Chopard), pink (Penelope Cruz at the Globes), grey (Sandra Bullock at the Globes wearing Lorraine Schwartz), and black (Heather Graham at the Globes wearing Martin Katz). Along with brown and white diamond earrings at the Globes by Lorraine Schwartz, Emily Blunt wore that designer’s bracelets featuring champagne, yellow and pink diamonds. Kathryn Bigelow chose earrings of green and brown diamonds by Kimberly McDonald.
McDonald’s signature geode drusy and diamond earrings made multiple appearances on the red carpet. Jane Krakowski and Halle Berry chose this look for the Golden Globes; Holly Hunter wore a suite of McDonald’s jewelry at the SAG Awards.
Incidentally, the Martin Katz earrings worn by Jennifer Morrison at the Golden Globes were identified by the Platinum Guild as being comprised of cognac-colored diamonds, not rubies, as I had previously reported.
Sapphires, too, make a showing in multiple hues. Kristen Bell wore a Van Cleef and Arpels necklace of blue sapphires and diamonds. Lisa Edelstein chose jewelry by Lorraine Schwartz, including blackened platinum earrings set with blue sapphires and diamonds. Courtney Cox chose enormous black sapphire drop earrings by Ofira Schwartz.
Taking the opposite tack at the SAG Awards to that of Diane Kruger, with her rubies and orange gown, was Mariana Klaveno, who wore earrings of pearls and orange tourmalines by Zoran with her bright red gown.
Onyx made a repeat appearance at the awards shows, which perhaps should not be surprising given that black continues to be the default color for gala-worthy gowns. Turquoise was the stone of choice for Toni Collette at the SAG Awards.
Moonstones along with brown, yellow and white diamonds were highlighted in the Neil Lane worn by Tina Fey at the SAG Awards. Drew Barrymore chose an 80 carat moonstone ring by Lorraine Schwartz for the Golden Globes.
Brooches continued to be a popular accent, most often seen at the waist. Among the celebrities who chose to wear brooches were Amy Adams, Mariah Carey, Nicole Kidman, Jane Krakowski and Kyra Sedgwick. At the Golden Globes, Rose Byrne wore a set of three diamond brooches by Stephen Russell at her hip plus a large diamond clip by Neil Lane in her hair.
Various jewelry was created or repurposed for adorning the hair. At the Golden Globes, Carey Mulligan wore a 19th Century diamond riviere necklace by Fred Leighton as a headband. Marion Cotillard wore 12 carat diamond hair clips by Chopard. At the SAG Awards, Marion Cotillard reportedly wove a four row bracelet featuring 40 carats of emeralds and 22 carats of yellow diamonds by Chopard through a loose side knot hairstyle.
Color and creativity provided many of the jewelry highlights from the two awards shows. Not all choices were as successful. Who might have done better in their choices of jewelry? Among my nominees (since you tell me you want to know):
Vera Farmiga at the Golden Globes in huge, gorgeous diamond cluster earrings that appeared to me too tight and controlled – I would have preferred earrings with less density and size and more playfulness to complement her long neck and her youth.
Mo’Nique at the Golden Globes in white diamond earrings that, while lovely, could have easily been dialed up several notches for more pizzazz. She and Farmiga might have swapped earrings to their mutual benefit.
After the success of her spectacular Kwiat diamond necklace at the Golden Globes, Gabourey Sidibe at the SAG Awards in a diamond pendant necklace and earrings of similar size that clashed from a design perspective, the earrings all angles, the pendant all about curves. In addition, the pendant proved to be a fussy choice, appearing off-center in just about every photo taken of Sidibe on the red carpet. She would have done better in a simple riviere necklace.
Jenna Fischer at the SAG Awards in a dress featuring a bodice beaded in a beautiful mix of colors over a solid purple skirt, and white diamond earrings that were stunning yet looked rather cold and stark next to the play of colors in her gown. Here’s an instance where choosing a more vibrant color – almost any color of sapphires or fancy diamonds, or citrines, or tourmalines-would have made a more interesting match.
The Grammy Awards is the next red carpet show, but of course, in the recording industry, over the top is par for the course. It will be interesting to see the directions fashion and jewelry take at the Academy Awards in early March. Stay tuned!
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