Awards season in Hollywood culminates each year in February with the Oscars, the glitziest and most extravagant award show of the season. All the preceding film awards, like the Golden Globes, are used as predictions of how the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will vote when it comes to Oscar time. The Oscars are not just a time for rewarding and recognizing excellence in acting, directing and writing. It's also the biggest fashion event in Hollywood, with endless dissections of the gowns, jewelry and shoes worn by leading actresses in magazines, TV shows and newspapers the next day.
The Oscars were not always a time of borrowed designer gowns fresh off the runway and opulent jewels. The awards started out as a simple affair in 1929, with a 15 minute ceremony at a hotel in Hollywood followed by a dinner. It wasn't until 1953 that the Oscars were televised inviting all of America to experience the glamour and suspense of the night. As the Oscars gained prominence, the fashions worn to the ceremony became increasingly important.
These days an estimated 35 million to 40 million people watch the Oscars on television each year in the US. The red carpet interviews devoted to dissecting Oscar fashions preceding the ceremony have become just as big a part of the event as the awards themselves. Standing out on the red carpet can boost an actress's career and get her photo into every fashion slideshow so preparation for the day begins months in advance. Having your gown or fabulous 
diamond necklace photographed and seen by millions is also a boon to designers. Fashion and jewelry brands have carefully cultivated symbiotic relationships with actresses, lending out the most fabulous and elaborate jewels and gowns for the big night.
The jewelry houses best known to grace the necks, wrists and ears of the most recognizable women in the world at the Oscars are Cartier and Harry Winston. It was Harry Winston that first started the now established tradition of lending out the most stunning pieces in its collection to actresses in 1943. Some of the most memorable jewelry at the Oscar's have included Cartier's delicate, sparkling 40-carat diamond choker which adorned Gwyneth Paltrow's slim neck when she won the Oscar for Shakespeare in Love in 1999. Gwyneth Paltrow loved the delicate necklace so much that her parents bought it for her after the award ceremony, as a beautiful keepsake to remember her Oscar win.
The year before, in 1998, Harry Winston made a big splash at the Oscars when it created an homage to the famous "Heart of the Ocean"" necklace from the movie Titanic. Harry Winston's version, which adorned the neck of Gloria Stuart, the actress who portrayed the elderly Rose in the romantic film featured a 15-carat deep blue diamond framed by sparkling white diamonds. Despite its hefty $20 million price tag, the 
emerald cut diamond was sold right after the Oscars to an overseas buyer who had seen it at the ceremony."
Another historic jewelry house that often shows up at the Oscars is Swiss high fashion brand Chopard. But just because its pieces are classic and timeless does not mean they can't get a modern update. Like in 2016, when Irish actress Saoirse Ronan, nominated for an Oscar for the film Brooklyn, turned heads on the red carpet when she wore mismatched dangling Chopard statement earrings. While both earnings were of the same design, one earing featured 18-carats of flawless emeralds and 5-carats of jadeite, while the other was made with perfect snowy white pearls, all set in white gold. The bold fashion choice earned her, and Chopard, a lot of press and admiration, with purposefully mismatched earnings becoming a fashion trend that fall.
But it is not just big established brands like Cartier, Harry Winston and Chopard that have made big splashes at the Oscars. Newer and smaller brands have also made inroads, like Lorraine Schwartz, whose bold and vibrant 115-carat emerald drop earrings and matching emerald ring adorned Angelina Jolie's ears and hand at the 2009 Oscars, standing out in striking contrast to Jolie's plain black gown and simple makeup. And who can forget Nicole Kidman's stunning layered diamond necklace that swirled around her neck and bust like snowflakes at the 2008 Oscars? That was a custom made 1,399-carat necklace designed by L'Wren Scott that took over 6,000 hours to create. This year promises to be no different, with Oscar nominees expected to wow the crowds at home watching and set the tone for jewelry trends for the year.
