Michelle Yeoh
© AFP/File Francois Guillot

CANNES, France (AFP) - German actress Diane Kruger, Malay actress Michelle Yeoh, Cannes jury member Maggie Cheung, superstars Eva Herzigova and Angelina Jolie and Australia's Toni Colette are just some of the stars sporting this year's favourite diamond drop earrings and cuff bracelets at the festival.

But Swiss jeweller Chopard favours colour for stars walking the red carpet.

"There is lots of colour," Chopard co-president Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele told AFP.

The luxury company, which designed the coveted Palme d'Or prize to be awarded Sunday, has brought more than 500 sets of gems to Cannes, including a special 60th birthday "red carpet" collection marking its 10 years as official partner of the fest.

Gruosi-Scheufele declined to reveal how much the jewels in Cannes were worth but said the value of the gems, guarded around the clock in one of the famous sea-front hotels, "has lots of zeros."

Angelina Jolie
© AFP/File Valery Hache

The pieces are "all totally completely different because all the women in the world are different," said Gruosi-Scheufele, who helped design the Palme d'Or.

These include a 44-carat emerald cabochon pendant necklace with a 37-carat cabochon centre surrounded by black diamonds worn by Colette, who is on the Palme d'Or jury.

A-list celebs choose which precious piece to wear at the screenings and star-studded parties that are Cannes' trademark. But occasionally this can end in tension when two stars want the same jewel, Gruosi-Scheufele revealed.

French jewellery house Van Cleef and Arpels said stars this year were opting for long pendant earrings and bracelets.

"They look great with glamorous plunging necklines and loose hair," said the firm's Charlotte Gounant.

On the nightly evening-wear clambering up the red carpet, most of the top jewels flaunted are pure-white diamonds.

"This year's overwhelming favourite is white diamonds - mostly set in white gold," said Caroline Deby of the world's leading diamond house, De Beers.

Maggie Cheung
© AFP/File Francois Guillot

Kruger and Jolie are two of many stars who went for fine waterfall diamond earrings, and industry watchers said most favoured a simple look.

One reason was that haute couture gowns worn for black tie film screenings are more colourful than in 2006 and often feature sequins or embroidery.

If stars add on too much jewellery "they end up looking like a Christmas tree," said one Cannes veteran from a renowned Paris-based house.

"The trend in Cannes reflects the overall preference worldwide for white stones, and for solitaires in particular," said Deby of De Beers.

The company has organised a treasure hunt for the anniversary filmfest, with the prize -- a one-carat diamond.

©AFP