Revisiting The Oscar’s Jewelry Since 2000: Pearls, Metals, Gemstones, And Bold Trends

The Oscar Academy Awards may be all about the past year’s best performing movies, but people seem to be more excited about the glitz, glam, and the ultimate question of “who are you wearing tonight?” As the years go by, some jewelry at The Oscars is contemporary and trendy or other times it’s classic and retro. Here’s a look at some of the best and priceless pieces of jewelry that made it to the award ceremony’s red carpet since 2000.

Classy Pearls

No one can go wrong with pearls on or off the red carpet. In 2001, Juliette Binoche (Best Actress nominee for Chocolat) was draped in layers of Chanel pearls. In 2007, Anne Hathaway wore gorgeous tear-drop pearl earrings. In 2010, Queen Latifah wore equally gorgeous long earrings with pearls.  Helen Mirren was a showstopper at the 2011 Oscar Academy Awards when she wore vintage 1907 pearls from Cartier.

Jewelry by Neil Lane, whether it is from the jewelers archives or a newly designed set, is a favorite by many red carpet stars and they have been seen wearing his pearl tear drop earrings. One starlet, Zoe Saldana, wore gorgeous dangling pear-shaped pearls that complemented her bare collar in 2013.

Precious Metals

Mixing and matching different metals such as gold, rose gold, silver or bronze is very trendy right now, but accessorizing with any metallic is always in. In 2010, Cameron Diaz matched her pale gold and embellished dress with her white, yellow, and rose gold with diamonds Trinity circle earrings along with several white gold and princess cut diamond rings from Cartier. The same year, Jennifer Lopez wore 1934 Cartier London platinum earrings and bracelet that were also set with diamonds.

Actresses aren’t the only ones to shine with different metals. In 2009, Robert Downey Jr., who was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Tropic Thunder, wore a Cartier white gold and diamond watch with a black crocodile strap.

Not all jewelry designs include typical geometric shapes, but have a bit of an individual twist to them. In 2008, Diablo Cody, the winner for Best Writing and Original Screenplay for Juno, wore metal skull and crossbones earrings.

Dripping in Diamonds

Many stars select jewelry from the designers’ archives that have been worn by others before them. In 2000, the same year she won the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Boys Don’t Cry, Hilary Swank adorned an Asprey & Garrard diamond choker that was designed in 1890. This $250,000 gorgeous piece of jewelry, which can also be worn as a tiara, was originally created for one of Queen Victoria’s daughters. Anther beautiful piece by Neil Lane that made it to the Oscars was a necklace made out of 200 carats of diamonds that Jennifer Garner wore in 2013. Freida Pinto, who starred in the Best Picture winner-Slumdog Millionaire, showed pride in her home country of India at the 2009 Academy Awards. Pinto wore a diamond ring that according to her in an interview was mined 150 years ago in India.

One of the most astounding pieces of jewelry to be seen at the Academy Awards was in 2008 when Nicole Kidman wore layers and layers of diamonds designed by L’Wren Scott. The necklace was set with over 7,600 diamonds of different sizes and shapes from rough to polish and is overall worth of 1,400 carats of diamonds.

Colorful gemstones

Some actresses decide to add some color to their look with beautiful multi-colored gemstones. In 2009, Amy Adams stood out in a bold red dress by Carolina Herrera along with a multi-colored collar necklace by Fred Leighton that included an astounding amount of 630 carats of sapphires, emeralds, rubies, and diamonds.

The vintage Cartier jewelry that Jessica Alba wore to the 2008 Oscars is considered priceless. This piece was a bracelet that contained ten oval rubies surrounded by diamonds was set into yellow and white gold. Along with the rubies that matched her deep maroon dress, she wore several different bracelets with diamonds that night. A second bracelet with shell motifs and set in gold and platinum is considered worth $44,000 and a third bracelet with yellow gold and diamonds is worth $39,000.

Some Oscar attendees and nominees keep their jewelry simple. In 2006, Best Actress winner Reese Witherspoon for Walk the Line wore simple pink drop earrings. Her toned down look was flawless with the vintage silver-beaded Christian Dior gown she wore that night. That same year, Keira Knightly was also nominated for the same award for her role as Elizabeth Bennet for Pride & Prejudice. Despite not winning the award, she looked glamorous as ever with a vintage Bulgari necklace which included sapphires, emeralds, and rubies.

Bold Statements

2010 was the year for bold and stacked bracelets. Mariska Hargitay wore three layered bracelets coordinating diamonds with sapphires. Sarah Jessica Parker’s look featured a 1950s vintage diamond swirl bracelet, 18k gold and diamond flexible bracelet, a rose-cut diamond, and bangle with diamonds and sapphires by Fred Leighton along with one of Chanel’s bracelet tattoos. Maggie Gyllenhaal also wore a bold bracelet, but unlike the others, she didn’t pair it with other bracelets on the same wrist. Her bracelet, a 1920s platinum and diamond bracelet set with a cabochon emerald and sapphires, was also from Fred Leighton.

Sometimes making a bold statement at the Oscars Academy Awards means wearing jewelry a different way. In 2013 both Oscar winners, Anne Hathaway (Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for Les Miserables) and Jennifer Lawerence (Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Silver Linings Playbook) wore their necklaces backwards so that they laid across their backs. Both styled by Rachel Zoe, Hathaway wore Tiffany & Co. and Lawrence wore Chopard that night.

Some accessories such as designer purses are meant to be simply admired rather than used for its original purpose. In 2008, Amy Adams carried a simple and beautiful gold purse designed by Fred Leighton to go with her deep emerald green gown by Proenza Schouler.

Some Oscars jewelry and ensembles are a miss, but all of these were a hit! What trends do you think the 2014 Oscar Academy Awards will bring next year?