We Can’t Stop Thinking About These 15 Pieces of Jewelry From Our Favorite Movies. So We Found Them.
by The Candidly Team
Like so many of our finest ideas, this article started with a question one of us randomly asked another one ordinary day. The question was, “What is a single piece of jewelry you’ve seen in a show or a movie that you left the theater (or your sofa) wanting to immediately buy for yourself?”
The answers were, of course, incredibly fun, often surprising, but mostly, every single one made us do that thing where we went “Oooooooh yeaaaah, I remember that. I loooved that!”
So naturally we had to share with you the top 15 pieces we’ve collectively held in the fantasy jewelry box in our minds over the past 40-something years. Many of them we actually went out and bought. And for every one of them, we found a modern, gorgeous, and may we just say pretty affordable version, all of which we shared below.
Enjoy!
1. MEG’s Rope chain necklace in when harry met sally
Admittedly, the first dozen or so times we watched this movie, we were honed in on Sally’s autumnal collection of chunky sweaters, tweed blazers, and wide leg pants. But she had a few understated (yes, mildly 80s) jewelry moments that were pretty special, this one in particular.
If you’re old enough to remember popping this film into your VCR, you probably also remember that this was the staple rope chain necklace everyone wanted at the time. And why wouldn’t we? It strikes that perfect balance between heavy and light, bold and delicate.
We’re not trend people, so we don’t care that this necklace is back in a big way right now. We’ll simply continue to wear ours forever, in no small part because it makes us feel the same way watching When Harry Met Sally for the 87th time does. Warm. Feminine. Cute. Classic.
2. Renée’s double-strand pearls in The Thomas Crown Affair
Did Renée’s clothes in this movie not single-handedly lead to thousands of women collectively dressing better for decades to come? When not drooling over her chunky boots and luxe turtlenecks, we were picturing ourselves in a little black dress and these pearls.
And sure, we could have shown you Audrey in Breakfast at Tiffany’s or Anne in The Devil Wear’s Prada to prove the sheer timelessness of this look. But we chose Renée, because she perfectly exemplified how a double-strand of pearls will always be chic and modern in addition to having their classic, heirloom appeal.
3. Sjp’s over-scaled butterfly necklace in sex and the city
You could arguably create this whole list out of Carrie’s captivating and unique jewelry, but, ironically, what we like most about her original pieces is that they actually make it easier to dress boring. Hear us out.
Though often as bold and statement-y as her clothes and shoes, Carrie’s necklaces and earrings instantly create intrigue regardless of anything else she’s wearing. Throw this necklace on over your cheapest black dress, and your whole look is suddenly daring, vibrant, and alluring. You’re the most excitingly dressed person at the party, and it took you all of 3 minutes to get ready.
4. Meryl’s gold hoops in the devil wears prada
Find us a scene in this movie where Miranda Priestly wasn’t wearing a gold hoop, and we’ll find you a Smith & Wollensky steak at 7AM. We recently came to the realization that no on-screen job has a more enviable wardrobe than that of a magazine editor. And for us, it was this fictional Vogue editor’s classic gold hoops that best captured her undying sophistication. A hoop earring is just a foolproof thing you throw on last, like a gorgeous black handbag or a tailored coat, that instantly up-levels your outfit in the most classic way.
5. cameron’s layered necklace in the other woman
Quite simply, what all layered necklaces are meant to look like. We know precisely zero women who don’t want this exact necklace at the ready to delicately adorn their décolletage. Throw it on with a not-so-buttoned button-down or a scoop-neck tee and jeans. It’s a magical little piece that pretties up your look by 300%.
6. jennifer’s paperclip necklace in The morning show
Jen’s wardrobe on The Morning Show is nothing if not incessantly chic. So it’s no surprise that this necklace would be the closest thing to a no-brainer on this list. It’s understated, subtle, and yet original enough to feel like we didn’t just throw on another boring old, plain-Jane chain. We own this necklace. We give it to our best friends as gifts. We wear it all the time. And the compliments just never seem to stop.
7. amanda’s feather earrings in can’t buy me love
To be honest with you, this feels like a look we would be making fun of ourselves for dying over way back when we first laid eyes on it. The fringe. The feathers. But then, we found the modern equivalent of Amanda’s earrings, and we kiiiiinda fell in love all over again.
8. diane’s onyx rope necklace in something’s Gotta Give
At this point in life, we probably take a little too much style inspiration from the unparalleled Diane Keaton. But a modest lariat choker with a dropping dramatic stone just takes the coastal you-know-what look to a whole new irresistible level. Like a starlit-stroll-on-a-black-sand-beach level. Needless to say, our Diane crush continues.
9. liz’s gold coin pendant in cleopatra
She’s known for diamonds, but we would argue that the wild amounts of gold she was draped in in Cleopatra made this style even more iconic. It’s a look that lingers in your imagination, and although we’re not sooo off the rails that we’d want to replicate it exactly, no one can argue that there isn’t a quiet and romantic power to having a gold coin beaming solitarily from the center of your chest.
10. Jennifer’s gold choker in friends
Do we miss the days of tying a thick velvet choker round our neck and feeling like the absolute epitome of cool? No. We have pictures. It looked weird. But would we still gladly wear the stunning gold choker that took our breath away one Thursday eve years ago? Of course! Honestly, we want this whole look, red dress and all. Along with these other 11 Rachel looks that we fully duped HERE.
11. molly and lea’s diamond studs in The Breakfast Club and some kind of wonderful
Any girl who grew up in the 80s keeps a core memory of the significance these diamond studs had to their respective plotlines. And look, it only took us all of a few decades to be able to find a pair we’d buy for ourselves - no rich dad or high-school crush required.
12. cameron’s floating gem necklace in the holiday
Her coats were one thing. Her perfect gold necklaces were another. But this particular necklace wouldn’t leave our mind, and we suspect it may be because that glass drop pendant filled with sparkly stones could very well be magic, and it hypnotized all of us into wanting this necklace for ourselves, perhaps filled with our or a loved one’s birthstone.
13. Naomi’s ring in the watcher
Renée walked so Naomi could run with her dreamy wardrobe in The Watcher, which is basically a white and cream cashmere spin on all the outfits we loved from The Thomas Crown Affair. We wanted everything she wore in every scene, so we found it all HERE. And still, this ring juuuuust might top the list.
14. Bette, Goldie, and diane’s single-strand pearls in the first wives club
It should only take one icon (at most) to persuade you to own an understated strand of pearls. We found 3.
15. Natalie’s initial pendant in the other boleyn girl
We tend to appreciate period pieces for their stunning costume design, but would only wear anything we ever see in them to a Halloween party. This initial pendant is one glorious exception. We saw it on a big screen and immediately wanted to snatch it right out of 16th Century England and wear it as our “everyday” necklace. Instead, we found our own necklace with our own initial, and we love it to this day.
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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