Why blingier is always better when it comes to jewellery in Hollywood

As awards season picks up pace, Nadja Swarovski reflects on the impact her family’s crystal company has had on the film industry, on and off the red carpet.

“Marlene Dietrich was the first star to wear Swarovski on the silver screen. She had this amazing crystal costume jewellery in Blonde Venus [1932]. It had to be large enough that the camera could capture it in black and white and that set the standard for the exaggerated costume pieces we wear now.

After that Marlene moment, the brand started working closely with costume designers. Dorothy’s slippers in The Wizard of Oz, Audrey Hepburn’s tiara in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and most of Marilyn Monroe’s on-screen jewellery came from Swarovski. Fact: her Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend look was nothing but crystals!

Now we have an office in Los Angeles dedicated to film costumes. A few years ago, designer Sandy Powell called me up and said, ‘Nadja, I’m doing Cinderella and you know just why I’m calling.’ She flew to Austria and worked with our technician to cut a crystal into that glass-slipper shape for Lily James to wear.

On the modern red carpet, we have found that celebrities are happy to wear crystal dresses and carry crystal bags, but for the jewellery they always prefer diamonds. We decided that for our new fine jewellery collection, we would work with a supplier in Northern California to produce synthetic ‘Created’ diamonds and we’re already finding that stars who care about the environment are interested in this new material. It’s a bit like growing a diamond; the conditions are the same as the natural stone-forming environment, but the process is sustainable and requires no mining.

The first person to wear them was Emma Roberts at last year’s Oscars, followed by Naomie Harris, Penelope Cruz and others. Actresses never know what they’re going to wear until the last minute, so we’ve worked to make the collection as adaptable as possible. We have earrings and necklaces with detachable pendants that enable women to make the pieces work with whatever they’re wearing.

Getting red carpet jewellery right, to me, is a matter of physics. Gems reflect light back onto the face, so anyone who wants to shine should choose large earrings or a necklace to give them that sparkle. This isn’t like what you wear to the office or on the tube. This is the place where you want to stand out."

Swarovski Fine Jewellery is available from atelierswarovski.com. Prices on application.