Monday March 23, 6:03 am Eastern Time Company Press Release

J. Peterman Co. Finds Merchandising "Jewel" in "Titanic"

"Heart of the Ocean" Necklace To Be Sold Through Company's Catalog

LEXINGTON, Ky.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--March 23, 1998--For audiences enraptured by the relationship between Rose (Kate Winslet) and Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) in the 20th Century Fox epic ``Titanic,'' nothing symbolizes their passion and eternal love better than ``The Heart of the Ocean,'' the breathtaking blue-stone necklace given to Rose and later lost at sea.

The J. Peterman Co., following its initial offering of merchandise from the film, has recreated the necklace with exacting detail and will make it available to consumers through its catalog for $198 beginning on Monday, March 23.

An exquisite reproduction of the fabled jewel, handmade in the United States, ``The Heart of the Ocean'' contains 137 hand-set stones, all faceted Austrian crystals except for the heart-shape ``Blue Diamond'' pendant. The detachable pendant, if genuine, would be 75 carats, easily outweighing the Hope Diamond at 45 carats.

Nearly 20 inches in length including the pendant, all settings on the necklace are finished in platinum-tone and triple electroplated with rhodium, a precious metal more expensive than gold or platinum. ``The Heart of the Ocean'' necklace is packaged in a navy blue, hinged presentation box with gold printing.

``We are extremely pleased to be able to offer fans of 'Titanic' and collectors the opportunity to own this magnificent reproduction,'' said company founder and chairman John Peterman. ``We are grateful that 20th Century Fox has allowed us to 'recover' this striking piece of jewelry which, for many people, represents the heart of the film itself.''

In June 1997, nearly four months before the release of ``Titanic,'' The J. Peterman Co. began its own search -- to capture the romance, style and elegance of the early 1900s and the mystery surrounding an event imprinted on our collective memory.

First viewing some of the actual recoveries from the doomed ship itself, the company sought the exclusive right from 20th Century Fox to sell the original props from the motion picture and to manufacture and sell reproductions of the wardrobe and props. The company mailed its catalog six weeks before the film opened and sold out in only three weeks.

Along with ``The Heart of the Ocean,'' the second wave of merchandise from ``Titanic'' includes such original props as silver and crystal dinnerware, historically accurate lifeboats and first-class chairs. Also available will be reproductions of the beautiful clothing worn by Winslet, DiCaprio and others. For more information, contact The J. Peterman Co. at 800/231-7341 or visit the Web site at www.jpeterman.com.

-- crystal smithwick (crystal@9v.com), March 23, 1998

Answers

I'm seriously thinking about it but $198 is really..... you know, that word. But we don't have to pay until June which will give us enough time to pay it off. So, why not!

-- Rose (rose364@earthlink.net), March 24, 1998.

While the piece is beautiful, I still don't see why 'The Heart of the Ocean' signifies the passion and eternal love between Jack and Rose. Cal gave the necklace to Rose, not Jack. Rose said she only wore it that once when Jack drew her. I can see how the necklace would always remind her of Titanic, and of the time that she posed for Jack; but I don't see it as a symbol of their love.

To clarify, (ladies) if you had kept the engagement ring of your ex, would it suddenly signify the love between you and your current?

Just my thoughts.

-- Becky Gordon (becky.gordon@pfs.sprint.com), March 24, 1998.

Becky:

In scene 307 (or thereabouts...EXT Carpathia deck / EXT Keldysh deck), a crewman asks Rose her name; after she answers "Dawson, Rose Dawson", she finds the Heart of the Ocean in her pocket. Every time I've seen the scene, it always seems like the culmination of an elaborate, impromptu wedding ceremony. Symbolically, it is Rose discovering her heart.

(Scenes 308 to 310 to the end credits is told without cuts, only dissolves.)

-- Thomas M. Terashima (titanicShack@yahoo.com), March 24, 1998.

Does anyone know if one of the things that J. Peterman will be selling is the butterfly comb?? I would love to have one of my own and in fact have made one but it's not the same. If anyone finds out PLEASE let me know!!!!

-- Miranda Swearingen (Kylen1@hotmail.com), March 27, 1998.

Miranda, I don't know if they'll be selling it, but I do know that one of the crew found it in a flea market.

-- Rose (rose364@earthlink.net), March 27, 1998.

I have an ongoing debate with a friend of mine. She insists that the comb Rose wears really is a dragonfly, not a butterfly. I just saw the movie again last night, and I have to say, it does seem to only have two wings (not four) and a fairly long thin tail inproportion to its body. Anyone else have an opinion about this?

Also, I think the necklace WAS a symbol of Jack and Rose's love (not Cal). Consider how broke Rose must have been when she landed in America. I mean, she couldn't contact any of her old acquaintances (or her mother would find out that she was still alive, then Cal would have probably found out that she was still alive and hunted her down for the jewel). And all she had were the clothes on her back. Yet, she never sold the jewel because it was the only piece of her glorious two days of knowing Jack that she had to remember him by. Sure, Cal gave it to her, but she knew Jack had touched it and it was all she had of him. Also, I interpreted her dropping it into the sea at the wreck sight (Jack's grave) as her memorial to him--as priceless a gift as the gift he gave her of his love. It symbolizes that true love is as rare, precious and priceless as a 56 carat diamond. I, for one, cherish the symbol of the necklace as a way of expressing my belief in that kind of love.

-- Amy M. (amym@sirius.com), March 30, 1998.

I have an ongoing debate with a friend of mine. She insists that the comb Rose wears really is a dragonfly, not a butterfly. I just saw the movie again last night, and I have to say, it does seem to only have two wings (not four) and a fairly long thin tail in proportion to its body. Anyone else have an opinion about this?

Also, I think the necklace WAS a symbol of Jack and Rose's love (not Cal). Consider how broke Rose must have been when she landed in America. I mean, she couldn't contact any of her old acquaintances (or her mother would find out that she was still alive, then Cal would have probably found out that she was still alive and hunted her down for the jewel). And all she had were the clothes on her back. Yet, she never sold the jewel because it was the only piece of her glorious two days of knowing Jack that she had to remember him by. Sure, Cal gave it to her, but she knew Jack had touched it and it was all she had of him. Also, I interpreted her dropping it into the sea at the wreck sight (Jack's grave) as her memorial to him--as priceless a gift as the gift he gave her of his love. It symbolizes that true love is as rare, precious and priceless as a 56 carat diamond. I, for one, cherish the symbol of the necklace as a way of expressing my belief in that kind of love.

-- Amy M. (amym@sirius.com), March 30, 1998.

I figured that Rose kept mum about the necklace because if she dared to try to sell it, the fact that she was alive would be made public, and she didn't want either Cal or her mother to know that she did not perish when Titanic went down. A jewel as well known as the Heart of the Ocean could not be brought to market without someone doing a lot of investigating!!

-- Kathleen Marcaccio (dkosh@msn.com), March 30, 1998.

I just got the necklace from J. Peterman. It really is quite beautiful. For me, worth the $198. It may sound silly but just holding it brings up all these feelings, not necessarily just about the movie, but about how the movie caused me to reflect on my life and my relationships. To me, the necklace is a symbol of the courage it takes to go beyond your comfort zone and really take chances -- and also about the rewards that can come from such courage. Maybe that's why Rose kept the necklace all those years.

-- Chie (foo@bar.com), April 09, 1998.

does anyone know were i can get a nacklace from i cant find anywere still selling them

-- Matthew (mreyn37697@aol.com), March 04, 2001.

to the last question : you can find them on e-bay some for cheap some not. and there is a posibility of them being j.peterman or not i just got mie in the mail today and it cost only around $13!so you can find them rally cheap all you have to do is type in Heart of the Ocean

-- Karen B. D. (shooty_pie_1014@yahoo.com), July 07, 2003.