Heart of the Ocean

The Heart of the Ocean

The Heart of the Ocean (Le Cœur de la Mer) is the name of a fictional blue diamond featured prominently in the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic. It is based on the famous Hope Diamond (which never traveled on the RMS Titanic). Many believe it was also inspired by a sapphire necklace owned by RMS Titanic survivor Kate Florence Phillips.

The film

In the film, treasure hunter Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) searches for the necklace, which he believes to be within the wreck of the RMS Titanic. His hunch seems to be confirmed when his team salvages a drawing, dated the day the Titanic sank, in which a naked woman is portrayed wearing only the necklace. The necklace was fashioned from a large blue diamond worn by Louis XVI. (Ironically, this very diamond happens to be the Hope Diamond, which Lovett said is worth less than the Heart.) Shortly after his execution in 1793, the diamond disappeared and was recut into a heart-like shape, known as "The Heart of the Ocean". The story of the heart of the ocean is very like the story of the Hope Diamond, except that the Hope Diamond was worn by Louis XIV in a royal necklace rather than a crown.

The woman in the picture, Rose DeWitt Bukater (now named Rose Calvert) (played by Gloria Stewart and Kate Winslet) contacts Lovett and is flown out to his recovery ship where she relates the story of her trip. She reveals that, although now known as Rose (Dawson) Calvert, she is in fact Dewitt Bukater, believed to have perished. Dewitt Bukater's fiancé Caledon Hockley (Billy Zane) had bought the "Le Cœur de la Mer" necklace as a symbol of his love for her. Rose wore the necklace when Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) drew her nude, the very drawing that was later salvaged. When Rose and Jack return to her room after running around the ship fleeing Spicer Lovejoy, Cal's valet, he meets them outside the door and chastises them, taking hold of Jack's arm and stealthily dropping the necklace into Jack's coat undetected. As soon as they enter the room, they are confronted by Cal, who claims Jack has stolen the necklace. In a short search of Jack, the diamond is found in the coat he is wearing. Jack's pleas of innocence are thrown in doubt when it is discovered that he has "borrowed" the coat he is wearing to sneak into first class, and he is branded a thief.

Before the Titanic sinks, Cal puts his outer coat on Rose in a show of care for her, forgetting that the necklace was in its pocket. When the Titanic sinks, Rose is still wearing the coat. After being rescued from the water and traveling to New York City, Rose discovers the necklace in the coat.

At the end of the film, Rose walks alone to the stern of the salvage ship and opens her hands to reveal the necklace, which she has kept all of her life. She lets the necklace fall from her hand and into the water.

Alternate ending

Many of the deleted scenes from the film displayed Lovett's obsessive curiosity as to the whereabouts of the diamond during the course of Rose's story. In the alternate ending, Lovett and Rose's granddaughter notice her walking along the deck, toward the stern of the ship. They notice her stepping on to the railing and quickly run to confront her. She shows them the diamond, dangling it over the rail threatening to drop it in order to keep them back. When questioned about having the diamond all this time, Rose admits that there were many times she thought of selling it, but refrained from doing so in order to live on her own without Cal's money. She allows Lovett to hold it in the palm of his hand, something he wanted to do since he first began the search for the gem, before flinging it overboard.

Origin

Historically, there was a blue sapphire pendant on the ship. It was given to RMS Titanic passenger Kate Florence Phillips by her married lover, Samuel Morley, as the pair fled to America to make a new life for themselves. Morley perished in the sinking, and it is believed that this tragic love story was the inspiration for James Cameron's film. The necklace has recently been featured in many Titanic exhibits.

The idea of a blue diamond is also in the 1943 film version of Titanic, where a blue diamond plays an important role in a love affair as well. In the film, the diamond was stolen and creates a dramatic break in a romantic relationship.

Original and reproductions

London based jewelers Asprey & Garrard created the necklace used during the filming with a blue cubic zirconium set in white gold. The cost of the necklace was approximately $10,000. Today, it resides in Twentieth Century Fox's archives. They were also commissioned during the release in 1997 to make a real "Heart of the Ocean" necklace using the original design. The result was a platinum-set, 170 carat heart-shaped Ceylon sapphire surrounded by a row of 65 round diamonds, totaling 36 carats. The necklace was valued at $3.5 million. It was sold at a benefit auction for the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and Southern California's Aid For AIDS for $2.2 million, with the condition that Celine Dion would wear it to the 1998 Academy Awards ceremony. She sang the film's theme song "My Heart Will Go On." The necklace now belongs to the daughter of a wealthy Asprey client.

During the same period, jeweler Harry Winston used a 15 carat blue diamond in his interpretation of the "Heart of the Ocean" necklace. This $20 million necklace was worn by Gloria Stuart to the 1998 Academy Awards.

Less expensive reproductions have also been available since the release of the film. Nouveau Treasures makes reproductions consisting of 1½" or 1" heart-cut blue cubic zirconia. Price Range $249–299.

The J Peterman Company made reproductions in 1997 when the film was released. Their necklace consisted of 137 Austrian crystals and a detachable, inauthentic "blue diamond" pendant packaged in a navy blue, hinged presentation box. Although no longer available at retail, this necklace can often be found on eBay.

In popular culture

• The diamond is mentioned in the dialogue of and appears in the music video of Britney Spears's song "Oops!... I Did It Again", as a gift from the astronaut to the Martian princess.
• In The Suite Life on Deck, one episode focused entirely on a Titanic parody - "The Kidney of the Sea".
• In the American Dad! episode "The Magnificent Steven", at one point Roger is "drawing you nude wearing the Heart of the Ocean" (referring to Hayley).