Over centuries, there have been several jewels that have a rich history. Many of these jewels are accompanied by stories from famous people, such as Princess Diana and her famous engagement ring.
The Heart of the Ocean is no different; behind it lies a real-life romantic story that appeared in the movie ‘The Titanic’.
Since then, there have been many replicas by different designers who have honoured the famous necklace. In the write-up below, let’s look at the true story behind the Heart of the Ocean diamond necklace.
Story Behind the Heart of the Ocean Diamond Necklace
After watching the movie ‘The Titanic’, you are left in awe of the heartbreaking love story between Rose and Jack, played by Kate Winslett and Leonardo Di Caprio.
Most people can recall the iconic blue diamond necklace as worn by Rose, specifically in the scene where she only has the necklace on while Jack makes a portrait.
You may think that the necklace is only part of the fictional story, however, there is a real story behind the Heart of the ocean necklace.
Below, we have gone into details about the real story, the fictional story, the symbolization of the necklace and discussing the replicas of The Heart of the Ocean necklace.
The history behind the real Heart of the ocean diamond necklace
Just as in the movie, the characters in the actual story were two partners in love who were eloping to start a new life together.
A 20-year-old lady, Kate Florence, was romantically involved with 40-year-old Henry Morley. They planned on travelling on The Titanic under disguise as a married couple.
Before travelling, Henry settled his family with enough money to cater to their needs. He sold his two shops and gave the money to his wife and daughter.
Henry then gifted Kate, his young mistress working in one of his shops, a blue diamond round necklace unlike the one in the movie, which was Heart shaped.
As fate did, Henry Morley never made it out of The Titanic alive. Just as a catastrophe struck in the movie, Henry drowned in the ocean along with the ocean liner.
Fortunately, Kate was safe and rescued but with little clothing other than a light nightgown and not missing her gifted necklace.
Despite the tragic death of her lover, Kate had to go on with her life. A couple in New York took her. During her stay with the couple, she found out she was pregnant which seemed too much of a burden to the host. Therefore, she went back to England and moved in with her grandparents.
Kate delivered a beautiful baby girl and named her Ellen Mary. Unfortunately, Kate despised her daughter and left her with her grandparents.
Later on, Kate remarried and did not reveal details of Ellen’s father to her. It is said that Kate developed some mental challenges, which explain her behaviour to her daughter.
After Ellen was all grown, she handed her the Heart of the Ocean. Ellen eventually found out the identity of her father and tried to include it in her birth certificate but it wasn’t fruitful. In the 90s, Ellen faced financial challenges that forced her to sell her inherited necklace.
She was left with the memory of the historic necklace she narrated to her family. In 2005, Ellen passed away while in Worcester, England. Until her demise, she had not succeeded in proving that Henry Morley was her father.
In the movie, Rose and Jack meet while on ‘The Titanic’. During the four days on the ship, they fell in love and were ready to defend their love against anyone who came in between. Rose had a fiancé who gifted her the Heart of the Ocean necklace.
As the original piece is in a museum, 20th Century Fox has stored the prop necklace with other archives. Despite not being the actual necklace, it holds sentimental value to the film, which is why it is stored. Since the film’s release, the necklace has been recreations that explain its significance.
The symbolization of the Heart of the ocean necklace
There are many conspiracies behind the real Heart of the Ocean necklace. It is believed its creation is an inspiration for the Hope Diamond. It is the world’s giant blue diamond with many controversial stories.
It is believed to have brought curses to anyone who owned the piece. Anyone who wore it was attacked with tragedy, losses, and misfortune. It can be reflected in the true love story of Kate and Henry and the film, as seen in Jack and Rose.
The Heart of the Ocean necklace carries a lot of symbolism. Both in the real story and the film, the necklace is surrounded by a romance that ends tragically. The actual necklace had specially selected features that had significant symbolism.
For instance, blue is a colour that symbolizes sadness and distress. After accepting the necklace, Kate went through distressing situations. The actual Heart of the Ocean necklace had sapphire associated with luxury, which wealthy people liked.
It had many tiny pieces of diamonds surrounding the sapphire square piece at the centre. It created a beautiful piece of jewellery.
In the film ‘The Titanic’, the fictional Heart of the Ocean necklace symbolizes the secret love between Rose and Jack which she threw in the ocean to protect the secret affair they had.
Are there replicas of the Heart of the ocean diamond necklace?
Many replicas have been made in honour of the ‘The Titanic’. Different designers took the opportunity to recreate celebrities’ Heart of the Ocean necklace. Fans also requested to get replicas which gave more reason to have replicas.
The fictional Heart of the Ocean neckpiece was only a prop, not a genuine necklace. The film’s producers had a similar neckpiece created with different jewels. Instead of genuine diamonds, the jewellers used cubic zirconia.
Since they were on a budget, they had to opt for cheaper products to create the prop. They used white gold as the metal on the neckpiece.
Regardless of using less valuable materials, the necklace looked original. The white gold has a bright shine almost similar to platinum.
Celine Dion had the chance to adorn the first replica of the necklace as she graced the 1998 Academy Awards. It was only appropriate for her since she sang the main theme song titled ‘My Heart Will Go On in the Titanic film.
Asprey and Gerard Jewelry Company created the first replica of the legendary necklace. Its creation was intended to donate to the Sotheby charity auction.
The jewellers cut it into a heart shape from a 171-carat sapphire with 103 diamond pieces surrounding the sapphire centrepiece, similar to the film.
Harry Winston created another worthy replica with different features from Asprey and Gerard’s.
For his replica, his centrepiece incorporated a 15-carat blue diamond with white diamonds surrounding the centrepiece.
Similar to the first replica, it was honoured by a famous worthy celebrity, Gloria Stuart, who played the role of elderly Rose in the film.
She wore it will attending the 1998 Academy Awards. It received much attention and fascination since it was professionally created while the jewellers played attention to all details.
In the film, Rose tosses the Heart of the Ocean necklace in the ocean, which divers go in search of.
As for the actual piece, Kate did not lose it; she could pass it on to her daughter, Ellen.
Ellen had it for a while before selling it, leaving the family ownership. However, the real neck piece found its way into the museum and is reachable to the public for viewing.
The first replica cost $2.2 million, which an unknown collector purchased. The other mentioned replica cost $20 million.
The difference in pricing is attributed to the level of professionalism in the making and the type of materials.
Henry Winston’s piece was valued mainly because of the white gold around the centrepiece. Asprey and Gerard’s piece had lower quality materials than the latter.
The fictional Heart of the Ocean necklace cost around $9,000. It cost less since the producers instructed for cheaper materials.
Conclusion
The history behind the Heart of the Ocean is fascinating. The fictional necklace carries an almost similar storyline.
Like in the film, the actual necklace is bound with a tragic romantic story of two lovers on The Titanic.
Unfortunately, the male counterpart dies similar to in the film. However, there are differences between the replica and the actual piece.
The most significant difference lies in the construction, whereby the real necklace is made from genuine materials, which are expensive, unlike the prop.
Unlike Rose, who tossed her necklace to the ocean, Kate stored the Heart of the Ocean, which is accessible in the museum.
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Stephanie is a jewelry lover when she was a teenager. Her major was fashion design when she was in college. She is a jewelry designer at SOQ Jewelry and other design companies. Now she is also a writer for our website. She writes a lot of designs&brands posts with very actionable tips.