Times have changed. So have movies, movie stars and the magic in them. But there was an era when films like Moulin Rouge! made that magic feel real. Iconic actress Nicole Kidman played Satine, known as the “Sparkling Diamond,” the top performer and star courtesan of the Moulin Rouge. But the diamonds were not only in her name; they were also around her neck. Fittingly, the necklace was named Satine after Kidman’s character. The beautiful creation that many filmmakers might recreate using CGI and post-production effects today was, back then, a labor of love created by Australian jewelry designer Stefano Canturi.
The Satine necklace drew on Louis XVI-style openwork lace patterns and intricate scrolls, with a Cartier-inspired grandeur designed to grace Kidman’s fine neck. Its high, collar-like form also echoed the chokers popularized by Queen Alexandra, who wore them to conceal a small scar on her neck.
Initially valued at an unheard-of $1 million, Satine contained 1,308 natural diamonds, including a five-carat emerald-cut center diamond, says Natural Diamonds. Large enough to cover the chest like a jeweled bib, it was made using natural diamonds rather than inexpensive paste alternatives. Back in the day, when today’s visual effects and AI trickery did not exist, artificial stones and digital effects could not reproduce the way real diamonds scattered light on film.
This simple requirement that Kidman and her jewels both shine with true star power resulted in a magnificent creation made from 18-karat white gold, with 134 carats of diamonds and a hidden 2.5-carat Sri Lankan sapphire set into its clasp. A true feat of jewelry-making, Satine earned a Guinness World Record as the most valuable piece of jewelry created specifically for a motion picture.
In the movie, the Duke offers the necklace to Satine as a gift, but it is less a romantic gesture than a glittering claim of ownership. When Satine rejects him, he forcefully tears the necklace from her neck. For that scene, a magnetic crystal replica was used so Kidman would not be injured. That was perhaps the only time the otherwise priceless creation was allowed to become a cheap imitation. What worked wonders for Kidman’s character in the film also worked wonders for the designer. Two years after this Cartier-inspired creation grabbed headlines, Canturi received a design commission from none other than Cartier, making the necklace an important bridge between Australian jewelry and the highest levels of international luxury.
In 2022, director Baz Luhrmann described the necklace as being worth $2.5 million, a valuation equivalent to five percent of the film’s reported $50 million production budget. It is no wonder that this masterpiece of genuine diamonds, which took four months to craft, was assigned two bodyguards on set. Cast and crew affectionately referred to the necklace as “she,” with Kidman reportedly asking, “Is she here?” before filming.
Satine was later scheduled to be auctioned by Christie’s in New York, but Canturi withdrew it from the sale. It remains in his private collection to this day. Given the beauty, grace and enchantment of the necklace, it would not be wrong to call Satine the queen of Canturi’s creations.