1. Lisa & Marge Simpsons’ Pearls

The Simpson family are iconic and have entertained multiple generations with their hilarious antics. Mother-daughter duo Marge and Lisa both famously sport pearl necklaces in every episode of the hit cartoon. Pearls will always be a timeless women's necklace style, so it’s no surprise that The Simpson ladies chose this staple piece as their main jewellery. Marge’s red pearl necklace is said to be a family heirloom originally. However, in later Simpsons episodes, she’s seen to have an entire drawer filled with red pearl necklaces! There have been some inconsistencies in anecdotes on how Lisa got her white pearl necklace. Some episodes show a baby Lisa wearing her pearl necklace, but these seem to be a bit of a goof made by the animators. Originally, the story goes that Marge gifted Lisa with the necklace on her first day of school. However, later episodes showing flashbacks reveal that she is not wearing them. Other anecdotes suggest that Marge gave Lisa her pearls when she reached an advanced 12th-grade reading level at a very young age.

2. Connell’s Necklace in Normal People

Connell’s chain was the star of Normal people. Yes, that necklace. The one that sent everyone in a tizzy during the 2020 lockdowns. There have been countless articles dedicated to the chain, and it even has its own Instagram account. In 2020, searches for men’s jewellery jumped by 500%. Guys searched online for the perfect men’s chain to woo their own Marianne, and women also sought out a chain for their bae to emulate Connell. Connell carries the chain throughout the book and the series. It’s a symbol of his working-class background and past while also representing the immense differences between the couple. In the novel, Marianne reminisces that she noticed it during their school days. It also catches the attention of Marianne’s BFF who christens it with the moniker, ‘Argos chic’. In the series, Marianne often wears lavish, at times even gaudy, large earrings throughout, which contrast heavily against the simplicity, understated elegance of Connell’s chain. Who knew men’s necklaces could cause such a kerfuffle?!

3. Marilyn Monroe’s Diamonds

Sorry to burst your bubble, but in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Marilyn Monroe did not wear real diamonds while singing ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’ in her bubble gum pink satin dress. However, Monroe’s love of diamonds is famous, and her association with them has made her synonymous with the real deal. Marilyn frequently rented diamonds to wear at parties and film premieres throughout her career. During the premiere of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Monroe wore a real diamond necklace for a studio photograph, which was a unique piece of jewellery. For decades, the photograph has since been reproduced and featured on tote bags, posters, and Marilyn Monroe memorabilia. At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it was a simple pendant on a leather choker. However, there’s more to this stone than meets the eye. The diamond in question? A stunning canary yellow 24.04 carat Moon of Baroda diamond was owned by the president of Meyer Jewellery Company. The diamond was estimated to have been found between the 15th and 17th centuries. Monroe borrowed the necklace during the film’s publicity, and it’s said that upon seeing the stone in the flesh, she exclaimed: “It’s gorgeous!”. Monroe wasn’t the only one to be dazzled by this diamond; the Moon of Baroda had previously even wowed Indian royalty. In 1990, Christie’s auctioned the diamond for a whopping $297,000, and the necklace has been on display at exhibits alongside an autographed photo of Monroe.

4. Princess Diana’s Engagement Ring

Princess Diana’s engagement ring caused such a sensation that many brides-to-be imitated it throughout the nineties. The ring boasts 14 solitaire diamonds with a deep blue sapphire (Diana’s ‘something blue’ for the big day) and cost £47,000. Now the engagement ring is valued at £300,000. The engagement ring was made by Garrard & Co, the then-crown jeweller. Garrard was inspired by Queen Victoria’s sapphire brooch, which she received as a wedding gift from her husband, Prince Albert. In true Princess Diana fashion, she broke royal protocol while still paying homage to them. The royal family was horrified at the choice of the ring as it was not a bespoke design and was also available for ordinary members of the public to buy. Prince William inherited the ring after Diana’s death in 1996 and proposed to Duchess Kate Middleton with it in 2010. The original design by Garrard was slightly bigger than expected, so the young royals had it resized.

5. Elle Woods’ T-Bar Heart Pendant

There’s a major Y2K fashion revival as generation Z discovers all the trends beloved by millennials. With a new Legally Blonde film written by Mindy Karling in the pipeline, we’re expecting to see the return of Elle Woods and her famous heart necklace. We’re not surprised Elle loved this design. She’s a character that wears her heart on her sleeve and is passionate about doing the right thing. In the film, Elle starts looking for love in the wrong place by following her ex, Warner, to law school. Instead of stealing Warner’s heart, she realises her potential, follows her heart, and falls in love with a career in law while making plenty of new friends along the way. The heart imitates the iconic Tiffany’s ‘Return to Tiffany’ range and sports a handy t-bar design that makes it less fiddly to fasten. The range was created by Tiffany & Co in 1966 and featured jewellery sets with matching bracelets and necklaces.

6. The One Ring from Lord Of The Rings

It was impossible not to mention ‘the one ring to rule them all’ in this list. Lord Of The Rings was a global smash in the early 2000s, and the popularity of this simple gold band made engravable jewellery very popular. In the Lord Of The Rings universe, the One Ring is created by the Dark Lord Sauron in the Second Age to take over the people of Middle-earth. In the films, whoever wears the ring is transported to a terrifying dimension filled with wraiths, which are the undead. Wraiths are invisible, but wearers of the One Ring can go between these worlds. However, there’s an enormous price to pay. The longer someone possesses the ring, the more it gradually possesses the wearer, and the obsession eventually overcomes them. The ring is a simple gold band engraved with elvish text in the films. It’s based on men’s wedding bands and was designed by Jens Hansen Gold & Silversmith in Nelson, New Zealand. Sadly, Hansen passed away before the film was released, but his legacy lives on the silver screen and in the gorgeous jewellery he’s created.

7. Anne Boleyn’s Necklace

Anne Boleyn’s necklace is a complete mystery yet is still one of the world's most famous women’s necklaces. Even Boleyn herself is as mysterious as her necklace: all her portraits were destroyed after her execution in 1536. The last remaining image, however, shows her love of jewellery clearly. Despite the efforts to erase her from history, Anne Boleyn is instantly recognisable thanks to her iconic ‘B’ necklace, and plenty of history classes talk about her even to this day. Anne was again in the spotlight when Natalie Portman portrayed her in a film adaptation of The Other Boleyn Girl. Her courtship and marriage to Henry VIII were filled with jewellery exchanges and lavish gifts, including diamonds, gold bracelets and pendants of their initials. Nobody knows where the infamous ‘B’ alphabet necklace is, and historians have been wracking their brains to track it down… or what remains of it. Most of Boleyn’s possessions were melted down or sold after her death, but it is said that some of the pearls of her ‘B’ necklace still exist. Anne’s daughter, Elizabeth I, inherited some of her jewellery. It is widely rumoured that some of her pearls are among the ruby and sapphire stones set in the Imperial State Crown used during the royal coronations. Wherever Boleyn’s alphabet necklace ended up, its legacy continues to influence the runways of Paris today, and alphabet necklaces remain a timeless classic.

8. Satine's Diamond Choker

Moulin Rouge! had us all doing the can-can like it was 1889 in our living rooms when it first came out in 2001. Like Connell’s necklace in Normal People, Satine’s necklace became a sensation after the movie’s release and is back on our radar again now the stage version of the musical is playing in London. Set in the legendary Moulin Rouge nightclub during the late 1800s, the film follows triple-threat actress/dancer/singer Satine, played by Nicole Kidman. Satine headlines a show and is the star performer at the club when she suddenly meets and falls in love with a penniless writer, Christian, played by Ewan McGregor. She tries to save the Moulin Rouge from going under by becoming involved with a cruel, controlling, yet very wealthy Duke. The Duke buys Satine an opulent necklace to show his love. Satine’s showbiz nickname is ‘the sparkling diamond’, and the Duke wishes to possess her, along with the rest of the Moulin Rouge nightclub. The choker is huge, encrusted with diamonds, and gorgeous. However, for Satine, this necklace feels like an albatross as it symbolises possession and control. The necklace was designed for the film by Stefano Canturi. He spent an extensive amount of time researching the history of France and the 19th century to showcase the extravagance of this exciting period. Fine jewellery was very en vogue in the 1800s, women’s necklaces were becoming quite lavish, and the jewellery designer used common French motifs based on Louis XVI’s style. The necklace was made exactly to Nicole Kidman’s measurements and was crafted as couture. It took three months of fittings to finally get it right for Kidman. It was handmade in 18k white gold and set with 134 carats of diamonds, the largest being a 5-carat emerald cut diamond. On the clasp was a cabochon style Sri Lankan blue sapphire, and in total, it carried 1,308 diamonds. A regular necklace can weigh anywhere between 1 and 4 grams, depending on the design. However, this sparkling diamond choker weighed a whopping 426 grams. The necklace even had a stunt double made with silver, crystals and a magnetic clasp for a scene that involved the necklace being ripped off Satine’s neck. This version of the necklace has been exhibited to celebrate the film and made a few press appearances during the promotion.

9. The Heart of the Ocean Necklace

Last but certainly not least, we need to talk about Titanic and the ‘Heart Of The Ocean’ necklace. The infamous necklace that Rose DeWitt Bukater wears aboard ‘the ship of dreams’ became an icon in its own right after this box office smash was released. In the film, the necklace is gifted to Rose by her fiance, Caledon Hockley, as an early wedding gift. Unfortunately for Cal, Rose meets Jack, and well, we all know the story: they fall in love, the ship sinks, Rose tells Jack there’s no room on the door (there is), and she starts her new life in the United States as one of the few survivors of this tragedy. With many believing the necklace to have been lost forever, Rose is tracked down by Brock Lovett after he finds a sketch of her wearing only the diamond necklace among the possessions salvaged from the wreckage 84 years later. Rose recounts her life to Lovett, and - spoiler alert, she sneaks off to drop the necklace into the ocean. That’s right: Rose had this priceless necklace the entire time, but she needed to let it go. The real necklace was made by Garrard & Co, who also created Princess Diana’s engagement ring. The pendant is made with a blue cubic zirconium and white gold, which cost approximately $10,000 at the time to make. Similarly to the Moulin Rouge! necklace, there were also stunt doubles for ‘The Heart Of The Ocean’ due to its value. The real deal was only used in two scenes in the entirety of the three-hour film, and it currently remains safe in the Twentieth Century Fox archives