Being the centre of attention in the popular heist movie Ocean’s 8, the Toussaint Necklace has a deeper history than the plot shows. Starring Anne Hathaway, Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina, Helena Bonham Carter, and Sarah Paulson the movie only depicted the necklace as a captivating piece of high-end jewellery. The exquisite diamond masterpiece of the Toussaint necklace captivated viewers and jewellery enthusiasts, sparking curiosity about its authenticity and significance beyond a movie’s storyline.
The intriguing design of this exquisite diamond necklace is more than just a movie prop and was created by Cartier in 1931. The movie took inspiration from the iconic design by Jacques Cartier who ran the boutique in London. The design was created for the Maharajah of Nawanagar and is described as the finest cascade of coloured diamonds in the world. The necklace included the Queen of Holland Diamond; a 136.25-carat coloured blue-white diamond and a 12-carat olive-green diamond. Amongst these extraordinary diamonds were several notable-sized pink diamonds among other huge white diamonds.
In Ocean’s 8, the necklace’s cost was estimated to be over 100 million US dollars; today the worth of the original necklace is assumed to be around the same. Cartier partnered with the movie production as the official jewellery. Not only did Cartier redesign and recreate this necklace but they also lent other pieces to the movie stars for specific scenes. The original necklace was designed and created for a man so Cartier had to adjust the sizing of it to Anna Hathway’s measurements. Experts creating the necklace in Paris to fit Anne Hathaway had to reduce the size by 15 to 20%. For the replica, the diamonds were replaced by zirconium oxides, a natural material and mounted on white gold. The reason for the replaced gemstones, was both time and money as the size and rarity of the diamonds would’ve cost the production more than they could afford. Recreating the necklace took more than 4,200 hours and 10 to 15 artisans of the High Jewellery department.
The necklace dedicated to the Maharaja originally had no name but is referred to in the movie as the Toussaint Necklace. The movie named the necklace in honour of Cartier’s legendary Creative Director, Jeanne Toussaint. Toussaint played a crucial role in shaping Cartier’s style from the 1930s onwards, establishing herself as a visionary and innovative woman. She adored Indian jewellery and found inspiration in the splendour of the great Maharajas. After the Maharaja’s exile, the necklace was sadly lost and therefore all that remains are sketches and photographs of a once sensational jewellery piece.
