Fictional fashion icon Carrie Bradshaw wore numerous statement jewels during Sex and the City’s lengthy HBO run. To commemorate the Jan. 14 premiere of The Carrie Diaries, a new television series offering a look at Carrie during her high school years, I selected a few memorable jewelry pieces from the original series that reflect the city girl’s signature style.
“Carrie Necklace”
Throughout the series, Carrie’s nameplate necklace, which she purchased for a few bucks at a fair while shopping with her best girls, becomes much more than costume jewelry. The necklace is a symbol of Carrie’s New York City lifestyle, so much so that the loss of the jewel in Paris relates to the loss of her larger identity. “The necklace came from my shop…It was a real piece of New York,” Patricia Field, costume designer of Sex and the City, said in an interview for the Archive of American Television. Carrie is reunited with her necklace, friends, and American life during the very last episode of the series, inspiring girls around the globe to wear their own monogrammed jewelry.
“The Diamond Carrie Necklace”
When she loses her Carrie necklace, Carrie’s Russian boyfriend, played by Mikhail Baryshnikov, replaces the charm with a more expensive (but less sentimental) $55,000 diamond necklace. While she appreciates the gesture, even diamonds can’t replace the original trinket (although they are nice to look at!).
“Engagement Ring from Aidan”
Carrie sure loves her necklaces, to the point that she wears the engagement ring given to her by rugged beau Aidan on a chain around her neck. Whether she wears it this way because it’s “closer to my heart,” as she claims, or because she’s afraid of commitment, Carrie’s distinctive bridal jewelry certainly makes a statement and distinguishes her identity.
“Charmed Necklaces”
Speaking of making a statement, throughout the series Carrie is seen displaying some quirky charms including a gold necklace in the shape of a pretzel, a rhinestone apple necklace, and a silver chain with a horseshoe charm.
24k gold pretzel necklace with diamond salt (Photo courtesy of Yossi Harari)
There’s no denying that when it comes to fashion, Carrie marches to the beat of her own drum (while wearing Manolo Blahniks of course).
“Black Diamond Ring”
In Sex and the City 2, Mr. Big gifts Carrie with a 5 ct. black diamond ring “because she’s not like anyone else.” Jewelry designer Itay Malkin worked in collaboration with Sarah Jessica Parker and Patricia Field to create the finished product. “It was an honor to have my design chosen for such an emotionally important scene,” Malkin said in a statement. In true Carrie Bradshaw fashion, the black stone influenced the rising popularity of non-traditional engagement rings.
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