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The costume jewelry of the 30-s and 40-s typically was oversized - that is, the pieces were purposefully larger than their classic, fine-jewelry counterparts. But the 2005 Oscars saw lots of oversized 1940s-influenced designs featuring genuine diamonds and gems. According to reporter Claudia Parsons, some "jewels were so over the top they looked fake."
There were exceptions to the "real, not fake" rule at the awards, however. Take for example the humungous clear stone necklace worn by Beyonce in her performance of a song from the film Phantom of the Opera. This necklace was gigantic, with enormous stones in clusters surrounding her neck, with a separate gemmed drop component that nearly reached her navel. Many post-Oscars commentators criticized Beyonce for wearing a "diamond" necklace that looked like a "chandelier" and was the largest "she could find."
In reality, this necklace did not belong to Beyonce and was not made of diamonds. It was custom-designed for the Phantom of the Opera film, where it was worn by actress Emmy Rossum - or by Minnie Driver. Its stones are Swarovski crystal glass - not gemstones at all. According to New York Post Online Edition, the necklace was flown from its home in Paris to Los Angeles specially for Beyonce's Academy Awards performance.
Some other eye-catching jewels worn to the 2005 Oscars:
- Cate Blenchett wore a yellow diamond and emerald brooch by designer Lorraine Schwartz at the upper corner of her dress. It's reported value is $250,000.
- Drew Barrymore also wore a Lorraine Schwartz brooch with diamonds, valued at $65,000. Drew wore the brooch on the back of her dress.
-Natalie Portman wore a diamond-encrusted head band in her hair.
-Penelope Cruz wore yellow diamond earrings, a yellow diamond ring and a pair of emerald-cut diamond bracelets by Chopard.
-Ziyi Zhang, an award presenter, wore a multi-layer Y-necklace encrusted with diamonds by Bvlgari.
-Depending on the source, Scarlett Johansson donned either a jeweled 19th-century tiara by Fred Leighton - or a set of three vintage brooches in her hair.
-Kate Winslet wore long multi-diamond and coordinating wide-linked bracelets (which almost looked like cuffs), designed by Neil Lane. Rumor has it that the matching jewels adorning Kate's gown were also by Neil Lane.
-Emmy Rossum wore a classically designed, yet showy, ruby and diamond necklace with matching earrings by Harry Winston.
- Beyonce wore gigantic jeweled chandelier earrings (probably genuine diamonds) when she arrived at the ceremony and walked the red carpet. These were designed by Lorraine Schwartz .
Beyonce wasn't the only girl at the Oscars donning oversized, glitzy chandelier earrings. Giant jeweled chandeliers in various geometric shapes, many encrusted with genuine diamonds, were everywhere. Most were long enough to dust the shoulders of their glamorous wearers.
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