THE romance began with heat and passion but was doomed when Josephine failed to give Napoleon an heir. Yet when one of the last jewelled gifts presented to Josephine by her husband - a pair of diamond-and-emerald earrings - was placed on the market by Cartier in 1921, the world glimpsed a moment of tenderness in their ill-fated marriage.

According to comments from Pierre Cartier in The New York Times before their sale, the earrings were a favourite ornament of the Empress, "made by the court jeweller on Napoleon's express design and command".

Josephine's pear-shaped emerald pendants were then valued at $100,000, a hefty sum for the time. Last month, almost a century on, in a testament to the power wielded by jewels with spectacular provenance, a record-breaking price of $14 million was paid at a Christie's auction for jewels once belonging to Christina Onassis.

The magnetic pull of beautiful jewels was felt in full force at Diamond Divas, a recent exhibition in Belgium of jewellery once worn or owned by women of royalty, high society and the stars of the red carpet. Gloria Swanson's Cartier bracelets, Grace Kelly's emerald-cut diamond engagement ring and the Edwardian diamond tiara worn by Madonna on her wedding day were just part of the selection displayed over three floors of the Antwerp Diamond Centre.

These jewels reveal more than the story of women with cash to flash, says the exhibition's event manager, Jennie Baeten. "Women who wore diamonds influenced the fashion and the spirit of the times," she says. "They were trendsetters and they created new styles. We chose the name diva because it comes from the word divine. Originally, only male emperors and kings could wear diamonds because they were thought to make them invincible."

And if you think such trendsetting divas belong to a bygone era, think again.

Jewels given in history's most controversial passions continue to inspire today's leading jewellers. "The most famous love story from history that has inspired Cartier is the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson's," according to a house spokesman. "Cartier created the famous Panthere brooch in 1947 for her and the recent Panthere de Cartier collection has been influenced by this amazing historical piece."

Such beautiful jewellery will always be essential to women because, "it's a signature. An appreciation of beauty and craftsmanship and an expression of a dream."

In the world of film, Marilyn Monroe was one of the first celebrities to harness the seductive and mythical power of a beautiful gem when she wore the legendary Moon of Baroda, a 24-carat, canary-yellow diamond, on the publicity trail for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The stone was put on rare display at Diamond Divas alongside the likes of Australian jeweller to the stars Stefano Canturi's diamond rings and choker necklace made especially for Monica Bellucci's vixen role in The Matrix films of 2003.

"This exhibition reveals an illustrious history where exceptional jewels go hand in hand with exceptional figures," Canturi says. "I really enjoy delving into an old era or style for Hollywood films; it allows me to create pieces for certain periods and for certain characters. For Moulin Rouge, I looked into the world of Parisian jewellery at the turn of the 19th century to design the bodice jewel, Satine, for Nicole Kidman's character. These jewels are intricate, powerful, bold and beautiful and a true reflection of the diva personality. For The Matrix, I delved into the world that is yet to come; my jewellery designs from the Cubism and Mosaic collections are continuously evolving and are often described as futuristic."

Baeten says the connection between the film industry and diamonds can be traced back to cinema's golden era. "In the late 1940s there was a lot of lobbying in Hollywood to introduce diamonds into the movies and it was the beginning of the romantic idea that if you want to make your dreams come true, then you buy yourself a diamond. You can see in High Society there were quite a lot of elements that went into this idea. It was also important to know that once you get the diamond, even if you divorce, you can at least keep your ring."

Of course, this was before feminism and while it is no longer fashionable (or politically correct) for women to cling to diamond rings as financial security blankets, the diamonds are still the ultimate symbol of an everlasting bond.