Diamonds were a girl’s best friend long before Marilyn Monroe slapped away a group of would-be suitors while decked out in hot pink satin and dripping with diamonds. Square-cut or pear-shaped, these precious gems have signified power, wealth, and devotion for centuries.
Did you know the very first diamond engagement ring recorded by historians was procured by Archduke Maximillian of Austria for his future wife, Mary of Burgundy, in 1477? According to the American Gem Society, this sparked the time-honored tradition of presenting a sparkling chunk of carbon to one’s betrothed … at least, among European aristocracy.
Diamonds weren’t readily available to the masses until the late 1800s, nor were they synonymous with everyday proposals until DeBeers’ “A Diamond Is Forever” ad campaign in 1947. Years earlier, the luxury jewelry company launched a concerted marketing initiative to get romantic engagements written into Hollywood movies and their jewels in the hands of starlets and modern British royals. What, did you really think millennials and Gen Z invented the influencer?
That plan obviously worked, as diamonds remain the ultimate pop culture status symbol, both on- and off-screen. From Gentlemen Prefer Blondes to Princess Diana’s sapphire and diamond engagement ring to Pamela Anderson’s very own lab-grown diamond moment on the 2024 Glamour Women of the Year red carpet, here are some breathtaking pieces, films, and cultural turning points we’ll never shut up about.
