The comeback of pearls has been announced many times over
the past few years. Every now and then, we witness a short-lived fling between
fashion designers and our beloved pearls.
This time pearls might be staying with us for little longer because of two
recent Hollywood productions, Anna Karenina and The Great Gatsby.
While set in two different periods in history, with Anna
Karenina living in 19th century Russia and Gatsby partying in early
20th century US, both movies emphasize pearls as the most feminine
and sought-after jewel for the ladies of their times.
The pearl jewelry in Anna Karenina was designed by Chanel.
Keira Nigthley’s beautiful pearl earrings and necklaces played an important
role in the story. One of my favorite moments in the movie shows Anna Karenina
frightened for life of her lover, Count Vronsky, when he falls off his horse
during the race. In the scene, we hear horses’ hooves pounding against the
ground and we see Anna’s fan beating and beautiful pearl earrings swinging in
the same rhythm. Anna is observing the race from the dark and we can only see
her frightened beautiful face and two gleaming and shivering droplets of pearl
earrings that intensify the loaded emotions of the scene.
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| Keira Nigthley as pearl-loving Anna Karenina |
In The Great Gatsby, pearls are associated with the wealth and
opulence of the era. Carey Mulligan, playing Daisy Buchanan, reveals that she
built her spotlight-hungry character based on her observations of the Kardashian family. Indeed,
Daisy Buchanan is known for her weakness for beautiful things, so it’s no
surprise that jewelry and clothes play an important part in building her
character, just like in Kardashian’s ultra-material world. Tiffany & Co, famed for their
breath-taking Art Nouveau and Art Deco jewels, were a perfect match to design a special collection for this movie set in the Jazz Age.
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| Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan |
Thanks to both movies, more celebrities and designers have
rediscovered pearls as their jewel of choice. Let’s hope it’s not just another
short-lived romance…
