Whether it’s Tolkien’s “One Ring”, Rose DeWitt’s “Heart of the Ocean”, or Fitzgerald’s “Diamond as Big as the Ritz”, the world of fiction is littered with storylines that depend on the destiny of jewelry items of various levels of power, value, and prestige.
And while you might not be able to wear an engagement ring adorned with the Pink Panther diamond, or gain the anti-aging capabilities of Melisandre’s ruby necklace, here are a few “real world” jewelry items that are a very real and very beautiful way to look good while paying homage to the stories you love.
1. “The One Ring to rule them all” (J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series)
What was it?
Described in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic fantasy novels as simply the “One Ring”, this ring was said to grant the wearer an array of powers that included, invisibility, mental control over others, long-life, and others.
Appearance
Understated in appearance, the “One Ring” is described in The Lord of the Rings novels, and appears in the LoTR films, as just a simple, gold band, with an inscription on the inside and outside of the ring.
Capture the look
Finding a ring that looks like the “One Ring” is pretty easy considering that it’s just a plain gold ring. If you’re looking to replicate the look as closely as possible, an 18-karat yellow gold wedding band would be perfect, especially considering the hypnotizing shine that the fictional ring was supposed to have.
2. “The Heart of the Ocean” (Worn by Rose DeWitt in the movie Titanic)
What was it?
An important part of the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, “The Heart of the Ocean” was said to have been designed to be worn by Louis XVI before his legendarily unfortunate haircut. This leads to a chain of various owners, eventually makes its way to the neck of Rose DeWitt (Kate Winslet) just in time to be worn on the maiden voyage of the titular doomed ship.
Appearance:
Based on the Hope Diamond, “The Heart of the Ocean” consists of a massive heart-shaped blue diamond that is set in a pendant necklace surrounded by tons of high-karat, relatively smaller, sparkling diamonds.
Capture the look
While we don’t all have rich oil baron boyfriends who are willing to give us a diamond the size of a baby’s fist, there are plenty halo-style pendant necklaces that feature topaz, turquoise, opal, mother-of-pearl, or other center stones that are sure to evoke similar feelings in the heart of any scrappy third-class passenger.
3. The Red Woman’s Ruby Necklace (Game of Thrones)
What was it?
Worn by Melisandre, the mysterious sorceress of the Game of Thrones universe, this ruby necklace seems to give the wearer the power of “glamor”, making anyone who wears it look much younger than they really are.
Appearance
A choker-style necklace of repeating geometric shapes, this piece features a massive center ruby whose color matches Melisandre’s signature fiery red hair. Additionally, it has been seen attached to more rows of geometric shapes, creating a fuller, collar-style necklace effect.
Capture the look
Luckily for GoT fans who are looking to find their own version of The Red Woman’s emblematic necklace, choker-style necklaces have raised from the ashes of the 90’s and are back at the height of fashion. Thanks to this resurgence in the popularity of choker necklaces, if you head into any fine jewelry retailer you’re sure to find an immense selection of necklaces made of stainless steel, sterling silver, or ribbon that feature an array of boldly colored center stones. And while these may not keep you appearing young forever, they’re sure to keep you looking good while you’re young.
4. The Time-Turner (Worn by Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
What was it?
Arguably the most extraordinary item on this list, the Time-Turner was used in the third Harry Potter book by Hermione Granger for probably the most ordinary reason possible. Given to her as a gift from a Hogwarts professor, this pendant was imbued with the power to take the wearer back an hour in time, something that Hermione took advantage of so she would be able to take more classes. While this seems like a waste of perfectly good time travel, this gold, pendant style piece has become a favorite amongst Harry Potter fans of all ages.
Appearance
Described in the book as a small, sparkling hourglass pendant, the Harry Potter films portrayed the Time-Turner as an exquisitely-crafted golden pendant that resembles a gyroscope, which hangs on a glowing gold-linked necklace.
Capture the look
Similar to finding your own “Heart of the Ocean”, finding your own Time-Turner is fairly simple considering the massive amount of pendant style necklaces readily available at most fashion and fine jewelry retailers. Additionally, if you have a pendant that would work but having difficulty finding just the right chain, most jewelry stores are willing to customize their items to suit special requests.
5. The Infinity Gauntlet (Marvel Cinematic and Comic Universe)
What was it?
A solid-glove glove adorned with all six of the all-powerful “Infinity Stones”, the Infinity Gauntlet was probably most famously worn by supervillain Thanos (played by Josh Brolin in the up-and-coming Avengers: Infinity Wars movie), who caused a heap of trouble for everyone’s favorite Marvel heroes.
Appearance
A large glove entirely constructed of bright yellow gold, the Infinity Gauntlet is always studded with the Infinity Stones, all of which are large oval gemstones of various vivid and bright colors.
Capture the look
As compared to the other entries on this list which can be found fairly simply in any jewelry store, adding the Infinity Gauntlet in your everyday wardrobe requires a little bit of re-interpretation. While it’s close to impossible to find a giant solid-gold glove at your neighborhood jewelry store, what you can find are fashion rings that adorned with an array of gemstones resembling the Infinity Stones themselves. Gemstone rings from brands like Tacori, Pandora, LeVian and others have tons of reasonably priced and brightly colored fashion rings that, when worn together, make an arguably more fashionable alternative to the borderline garish Infinity Gauntlet.