The 82nd Annual Academy Awards were held this week in Los Angeles, CA. Taking center stage, literally, was the Swarovski crystal Oscar® Curtain, consisting of over 100,000 crystals weighing an incredible three tons, which was designed by David Rockwell. It was quite a Swarovski crystal evening as many of the presenters and award winners were dressed in these crystals.
Arguably, the finest crystal jewelry in its price range, Daniel Swarovski I, started the company in 1895 in the village of Wattens, Tyrol in Austria, using his newly invented machine for cutting and polishing crystal stones. Still family-owned and operated, Swarovski is the world's leading producer of precision-cut crystal.
Celebrities Wearing Swarovski
- Carey Mulligan, nominated for her lead role in An Education, wore a black strapless Prada dress. The bodice was embellished with the crystals, continuing with a graduated flow of crystals down the skirt portion of the gown. Her gorgeous dangling diamond earrings were finely woven, resembling a piece of fabric.
- Jennifer Lopez’s pale pink strapless Giorgio Armani gown was augmented with a side train decorated with crystals. She wore over-sized diamond button earrings and a diamond bracelet.
- Amanda Seyfried, who was also dressed in Armani, wore a green strapless gown, the bodice of which was covered with the crystals. She wore fan-shaped diamond stud earrings.
Celebrity Beaded Gowns and Jewelry
- Oscar-winner, Sandra Bullock was dressed in a silver beaded Marchesa gown and wore her own Neil Lane diamond solitaire earrings and bracelet.
- Helen Mirren was dressed in a silver beaded Badgley Mischka gown and wore Chopard diamond jewelry. Her earrings consisted of a diamond post with a tear-dropped shaped diamond dangle. Her impressive necklace was a double strand of diamonds. The uppermost strand consisted of stones of approximately the same shape and size. The second strand alternated large and medium size round prong-set diamonds.
How to Combine Jewelry with Jeweled Garments
Combining gorgeous crystal and beaded garments with jewelry is an art. The fashion-forward wearer should aim to accent rather than overwhelm. Either the garment or the jewelry can be the star. If the garment is heavily accented with crystals, the jewelry should be understated.
Take a page from the images accompanying this article. The gowns are all subdued or neutral in hue with little to no necklace activity – with the exception of Sandra Bullock’s gown. However, as shown in the Oscar images, her earrings, while gorgeous are minimalistic. By wearing only earring and bracelets, the gemstones in the jewelry are as far away from the garment as possible, creating a very polished, attractive look.
View more Swarovski images from the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.
Maire Loughran - Maire Loughran was born and raised in Rhode Island, the costume jewelry capital of the world. She learned the art of jewelry making at the ...
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