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Apparently, James Cameron is just as demanding when it comes to precious gems as he is with 770-foot replicas of sunken luxury liners. The director's $200 million Titanic is set in motion with a present-day search for a diamond necklace given to Kate Winslet's character, Rose (above). But Cameron, a notorious perfectionist, was unwilling to settle for just any necklace. He wanted a stone that would recall the infamous deep blue, heart-shaped 45.5-carat Hope Diamond, the supposedly cursed gem housed at the Smithsonian. Since the likelihood of finding a real diamond with these specs was minuscule, Titanic production designer Peter Lamont commissioned Asprey's of London to create a one-of-a-kind necklace for the film. ''[Ours] is made from semi-precious stones and white gold, not real diamonds,'' says Lamont. ''If we found the right diamond, the cost would have been prohibitive, despite our budget.'' Guess even a big spender like Cameron must cut corners somewhere.


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Posted Dec 12, 1997 | Published in issue #409 Dec 12, 1997 | Order Article Reprints

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