Nicole Kidman has made some risky fashion decisions in the past, but when she first wore her famous necklace in Moulin Rouge!, there was even more of a risk.
While How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days had to acquire a loan for all of the jewelry featured in the film, Moulin Rouge!, which turns 20 this year, went one step further and actually created the most expensive necklace ever made for a film.
It's not quite as expensive as the "Heart of the Ocean" from Titanic, but we have to give props to the filmmakers for going to the lengths they went through to get such a valuable necklace made. The necklace ended up being so expensive that it needed a stunt double.
Here's the story behind the stunning necklace.
A Beautiful Necklace Made For A Disturbing Scene
Moulin Rouge! definitely had an obsession with diamonds. With songs like "Sparkling Diamonds," and "Hindi Sad Diamonds," it was almost like they were building up to the unveiling of the famous necklace.
Unfortunately, the unveiling happened in a dreadful scene. When Kidman's character, Satine, the star courtesan, decides to spend the night with the film's villain, the Duke, he tries to buy her love by presenting her with a beautiful, huge, diamond necklace.
Like the necklace, Satine was only a pawn to get the Duke to change Moulin Rouge into a theater. She's really in love with Ewan McGregor's character, Christian, so she refuses to sleep with The Duke, and his seduction turns violent. Thankfully she's saved by the dancer Le Chocolat.
Christian and Satine's love is worth more than the necklace, but the piece is still a shining ray of light in a terrible scene.
Baz Luhrmann, the director, and his wife, Catherine Martin, who was the costume designer, decided the necklace was just too valuable for the scene where the Duke rips the necklace off Satine after she refuses him. So they made Kidman wear a "stunt double" necklace, made of crystal.
After that, the necklace is wiped out of the film so fast it's like it was never even there. It's a perfect metaphor for how Satine's desires (Christian) are ripped from her in the end.
It Was Made By Stefano Canturi
The necklace that holds the record for being the most expensive piece of jewelry ever made for a film, was designed by Stefano Canturi. All of its 134-carats practically covered Kidman's entire chest and neck, it's that big. It was made with 1,308 diamonds and estimated to be worth $1 million at the time. Now it's worth about $3 million.
Patricia Canturi, the Brand Director of the label, said that Canturi spent weeks researching late 1800's France to get the necklace's appearance just right.
"He worked to capture the opulence and eclecticism of extravagant jewelry in the late 1800s, a time when fine jewelry was designed, crafted, and worn with passion," she said.
"He took inspiration from the Louis XVI style, openwork lace pattern, scrolls, and splendorous bodice jewelry. The decadent necklace was meant to accentuate Kidman’s beautiful neckline and décolletage, and especially stands out amongst a sea of theatrical costume pieces worn by cancan dancers throughout the film."
The process of making it is just as grand as the final product. It was measured specifically for Kidman's neck and décolletage, and they had to get exact measurements for the first wire model. Kidman had to go back for fittings for three months.
It's made of white gold and Canturi used traditional techniques to make it. The largest diamonds in the lace designed necklace weigh at 5-carats, and a 2.5-carat cabochon-cut Sri Lankan blue sapphire sits at the clasp.
"The necklace was named ‘Satine’ after Kidman’s gentle, romantic character for whom it was designed," Patricia continued. "It became known on set as ‘she’ because Nicole would ask on set is ‘she’ here?"
The necklace became so much like a character itself that it actually accompanied the rest of the cast in press tours. Kidman went on to win a Golden Globe for her performance and Moulin Rouge! won an Oscar for Best Costume Design.
Long after it was paraded around to promote the film, the necklace was set to go on Christie's auction in New York, but just before it went up Canturi decided he couldn't part with it and took it off the market. It's now part of his personal collection, and rightfully so. He made the spectacular piece after all. It is rightfully his.