Titanic not only introduced two memorable lead characters but also a very special object that was the reason for a lot of conflict in the movie: the Heart of the Ocean, a large diamond in a necklace, and here’s the real inspiration behind Rose’s iconic necklace. Although director James Cameron’s name is often associated with the sci-fi genre thanks to movies like The Terminator, Aliens, and Avatar, he has explored other genres as well, and one of his biggest projects was actually a disaster drama movie: Titanic, released in 1997.
One of the most successful movies of all time, Titanic captured audience members’ attention with the love story between Jack and Rose and its thrilling depiction of the historical destruction of the eponymous ship. However, one less talked-about aspect of the movie is the frame narrative, where Bill Pullman’s character Brock Lovett searches for the Heart of the Ocean diamond, which leads him to the elderly Rose Dawson Calvert and her unforgettable story. Titanic‘s Heart of the Ocean was not a real diamond, but did have real historical inspiration.
The Heart Of The Ocean Diamond Wasn’t Real
Titanic‘s Heart of the Ocean diamond was invented for the movie to play a vital role in its plot. Based on the accounts of the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912, Titanic tells the (fictional) story of Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) and Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio), two passengers from opposite social classes who fall in love aboard the ship during its ill-fated maiden voyage. Rose’s fiancé, Cal Hockley (Billy Zane), serves as the main antagonist of the movie, and it’s through him that a very important object is introduced: the Heart of the Ocean.
The necklace was given to Rose on board the Titanic by Cal as a symbol of his love and commitment to her, but as the story developed, it was very clear that Cal’s intentions weren’t as sincere as he wanted everything to think. The Heart of the Ocean was the only thing Rose was wearing when Jack made a sketch of her, which she used to let Cal know that she was running away with Jack. The final scenes reveal that Titanic‘s Rose had had the necklace all along and finally got rid of it by throwing it into the ocean. While the story of Rose and Jack is fictional, many elements in Titanic were based on real-life people, events, and more, and the Heart of the Ocean might have been inspired by two different diamonds.
The Inspiration Behind The Heart Of The Ocean In Titanic
There are reports of a real diamond and sapphire necklace on board the Titanic but with completely different stories to the one in the movie. The necklace was reportedly owned by Kate Florence Phillips and was given to her by her lover, Henry Samuel Morley. The pair were secretly sailing on the Titanic with the purpose of starting a new life together in America after Morley sold two of his shops and gave the money to his wife and daughter. Kate was wearing the necklace when the Titanic sank, and she made it to Lifeboat No. 11 while Morley, who couldn’t swim, died in the ocean.
It’s also widely believed that the Heart of the Ocean is based on the Hope Diamond, a blue diamond of exceptional size. The Hope Diamond is said to be cursed, as it supposedly brought unhappy fates to those who owned it or wore it, and it’s now on exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History in the United States.
Although the Heart of the Ocean wasn’t cursed and its presence aboard the Titanic had nothing to do with the ship sinking, it was a key object in Jack and Rose’s story and the movie in general so Titanic‘s blue diamond can even be seen as a character in itself. Titanic combines history and fiction, but these elements blend so perfectly at times that the audience is surprised to learn that some of them, like the Heart of the Ocean, don’t exist.
How Much Would The Heart Of The Ocean Be Worth
Titanic‘s famed Heart of the Ocean may not be completely real, but various replicas have been made after the movie, and the trinket has been recreated for sale by jewelry companies (because even disaster movies aren’t safe from merchandising). The necklace is said to be made out of a rare blue diamond inTitanic. The blue diamond is one of the rarest colors found in the diamond family and is considered to be extremely valuable. Natural blue diamonds come in different shades, such as greenish-blue, straight blue, and violet blue. Deep blue diamonds, like the one featured in Rose’s necklace, are said to be the rarest among blue diamonds, driving up the ticket price even higher.
If Titanic’s meaningful Heart of the Ocean were real, it would be priced at $300.3 million. The necklace made for the movie, however, was put together with zirconia and white gold. The Titanic movie version of the Heart of the Ocean is priced at $8,007.
The Heart Of The Ocean From Titanic Was Auctioned For $2.2 Million
The Heart of the Ocean prop used in the movie may not have been a real gem, but it still proved to be very valuable. The version used in the movie was made from cubic zirconia. However, jewelers Asprey & Garrard created a “real” Heart of the Ocean after filming, including a 171-carat blue sapphire and 103 diamonds. The diamond was auctioned for charity, and sold for $2.2 million to an anonymous bidder.
This version of the jewel was also worn by Celine Dion to the 1998 Oscars, where she performed “My Heart Will Go On” and won the Best Original Song award for it. Dion’s outfit at the awards was designed around the necklace, including a custom blue Michael Kors gown (per People). Gloria Stuart, who played the old version of Rose, also wore a lookalike pendant that was valued at $20 million. J. Peterman also sold a less expensive duplicate for approximately $200. While the Heart of the Ocean diamond in Titanic was fictional, its beautiful look was clearly an inspiration for many jewelers.
