o be perfectly honest, I had to be reminded of most of these. As the credits roll, it’s never the jewellery worn on screen that sticks in my mind. I can remember countless other details but the jewellery, never. I’m more Marilyn than diamonds. That she wears gowns and jewels fit for a queen makes no difference. For me her charm lies elsewhere and frankly, if it depended solely on her wardrobe, how sad and empty it would be.

Fake or worth a fortune, it’s not the jewellery that matters but the person who wears it. The most beautiful jewels are those that draw attention less to themselves and more to the person who chose them.

Jewellery plays a part in this, whether a diamond necklace, a nose stud, a coffee bean on a thread, a pebble or something else. The jewellery that touches a chord is never an affirmation of power or rank but an invitation. The opening line in a conversation.

Some jewellery puts up barriers and some opens doors, draws us in. The simplest of jewels nestled at the hollow of the throat can move us to tears. And be the start of something far greater. This is where the history of jewellery meets the history of humanity; in the need to adorn and attract – essential when finding a mate, the anthropologist would say. On which note we will end.