Diamonds and Hollywood

“A diamond needs more than an individual myth to be considered valuable. It also requires a collective myth−one that all of society can buy into and understand. In America that’s a job for Hollywood.”-The Heartless stone

In my research I wanted to try and understand why diamonds are viewed the way that they are. I wanted to discover when these rocks became such an iconic part of society. What I came to find out was that in the age when Hollywood was everything, priceless diamonds were loaned out to the movies stars of the ages and intentionally draped all over them on the big screen. On top of this, screenwriters were also encouraged to write plots about diamonds movies such as To Catch a Thief (1955). From the very beginning of the big screen to the present day, countless movies have been made glamorizing and idolizing diamonds. In my opinion two movies trump all others in the free advertising that was given to diamonds on the big screen. These movies are: Breakfast at Tiffany’s whose main character has an obsession with the Tiffany’s store and who spends a great deal of time there. And Gentlemen Prefer Blondes whose main character is Marilyn Monroe wearing a 26 carat canary around her neck who sings Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend need I say more. Perhaps this infatuation for diamonds stemmed from these two iconic women of the ages.