The Heart of the Ocean is the necklace also known as Le Cœur de la Mer from the Titanic disaster.

 

Historically, there was a blue diamond pendant on the Titanic. 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, this being a primary factor in the drama of the film.

But is it real? Was there really a necklace called the "Heart of the Ocean" on the Titanic?



London based jewelers Asprey & Garrard created the necklace used during the filming with a blue cubic zirconia 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 (34 g) heart-shaped Ceylon sapphire surrounded by a row of 65 round diamonds, totaling 36 carats (7.2 g). 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.

So what happened to the "Heart of the Ocean"?

It never really existed and was created for the Titanic film. It was based on the story that there was really a blue sapphire on board but it was never found. The Le Cœur de la Mer will sadly remain a fairytale at the bottom of the ocean! This year sees the 100th anniversary of the sunken Titanic.