Michelle Monaghan: Timeless and Sparkling in Desert Diamonds
Actress Michelle Monaghan sits down with Only Natural Diamonds to share how she gets into character, and the diamond jewelry that keeps her grounded on and off set.
NECKLACE AND RING DAVID WEBB • EARRINGS ZAHN-Z • DRESS STELLA MCCARTNEY • SWEATER REFORMATION
Natural diamond jewelry for Michelle Monaghan is never just about sparkle–it’s about memory, meaning, and transformation. Her authenticity shines through her craft, distinguishing her from the characters she brings to life rather than the glare of publicity. From growing up behind the counter of her grandfather’s jewelry store in a small Iowa farm town to the red carpet glamour she inhabits today, every piece she wears tells a story, shaping who she is and who she portrays on screen.
Michelle Monaghan has literally been shimmering in diamonds for as long as she can remember. Her most vivid childhood moments are piling on diamond rings and necklaces with her cousins in the back of her grandfather’s jewelry store. As he cleaned each piece they tried on, with his jeweler’s loupe pressed to his eye, he pointed out the special brilliance in each stone’s cut, and why natural diamonds are the most meaningful for engagements and milestones. For Monaghan, this game of dress up continued at home, exploring her mother’s shoe collection and jewelry box where she would experiment with style and character – a ritual that carries over to her craft today as an actor.
Meet the Author
- Maggie Morris is a writer and multi-disciplinary creative.
- Through both her writing and design work, she aims to reveal the details and nuance that reflect authenticity.
- She studied Anthropology at Wesleyan University and received a creative writing award from UCLA for her in-progress book.
Michelle Monaghan Looks Back on Her Career
Two decades later, Monaghan’s own star began to glimmer. Her breakout role opposite Robert Downey Jr. in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang marked the beginning of a varied and steady Hollywood career. Her latest turn, as Jaclyn in season three of The White Lotus, catapulted her further into the cultural zeitgeist—a spotlight she’s set to keep with a full slate of upcoming projects: a sequel to The Family Plan alongside Mark Wahlberg; Little Brother, a Netflix comedy with John Cena and Eric Andre; and The Whisper Man, a crime thriller featuring Robert DeNiro, Adam Scott and Michael Keaton.
These projects are notably very different tonally. Reflecting the demonstrated range of her artistry. “I thrive on the constant shift,” she says. “Each genre presents different challenges and requires me to flex different muscles. Creatively, I typically make 180-degree decisions– one extreme to the next–and The Whisper Man is a testament to that. It was a career highlight to co-star with Robert DeNiro, as well as Adam Scott.”
I’m from rural Iowa, being on a Malibu ranch I was in my comfort zone. Being able to kind of kick up some dust…
On a Malibu ranch surrounded by farm animals reminiscent of her childhood, Michelle Monaghan radiates the same sparkle that drew her to diamonds as a girl. Like the unusual cuts of the warm-hued stones she wears here, she is a star uniquely faceted: shimmering, captivating, and real, never needing to blind anyone with her brilliance.
For Michelle Monaghan, Jewelry is Fundamental to Building a Character
For Monaghan, jewelry is essential to character building. “I can create an entire backstory off of a watch, a pair of earrings, or a ring,” she says. “That’s what’s so unique about jewelry, you can evoke so much by who gave it to you and the meaning behind it. Utilizing that layer in creating a character excites me.”
Her role as Jaclyn Lemon in The White Lotus was perhaps the most dazzling yet in terms of jewelry as a storytelling tool. Mike White, notorious for sprinkling Easter eggs throughout the series, extended the practice to baubles: serpentine cuffs and talismans that whispered of dualities, of temptation, of danger. Together with costume designer Alex Bovaird and jeweler Pamela Love (one of her longtime favorites), Michelle Monaghan assembled a glittering arsenal.
The necklaces weren’t just props; they were masks, smoke screens, signals. “It’s a façade, who she is,” Michelle Monaghan says. “The jewelry says so much before Jaclyn says a word.” The jewelry not worn by a character can also speak volumes. Monaghan shared that the action sequences in The Family Plan made jewelry less practical, while her character in The Whisper Man is unadorned. “She likes to blend in,” Monaghan says, “as opposed to drawing any attention to herself. She’s quite the opposite of Jaclyn from The White Lotus.”
When building a role, Michelle Monaghan has a habit of negotiating with the costume designer: rather than returning jewelry to the wardrobe department each evening, she prefers to keep it on for the duration of a shoot. “When I wake up in the morning and splash my face, I want to feel like I’m already in her skin,” she explains. “On the last day, I take the jewelry off – I never keep it – and that’s when I walk away from the character. Jewelry is incredibly transformative in that way.”
Jewelry remains a family affair both for its meaning and for the stories held in each piece passed on through generations. Her uncle now runs her grandfather’s jewelry store, and her family gathers often. Recently, she watched her mother perform her own act of inheritance. Instead of simply designating who would receive which heirloom, she invited her grandchildren, one by one, to sit with her.
She told the story behind each piece, then placed it into their hands. To her surprise, the children shared memories of their own of watching their Nana wear those pieces on holidays, weddings, and everyday moments. “The joy of passing on the jewelry was beautiful,” Michelle Monaghan says, “but it meant the most to my mom to hear the stories from the kids and the memories each piece brought up for them individually.”
Jewelry Makes Michelle Monaghan Feel Grounded in Her Daily Life
At home, in the role of herself, jewelry still anchors Monaghan’s daily life. When we spoke just after the Emmys, she was enjoying some rare downtime after a nonstop schedule the past few years. “It’s nice to go back into my life and adorn myself with things that spark joy for me – mostly the jewelry my husband has bought me and other treasures I find along the way.” She gestures to her wrist, where a silver Elsa Peretti bone cuff gleams. “I’m exploring my silver era at the moment,” she tells me. “I really, really love a cuff, because it exudes strength. I feel strong wearing a cuff.”
Monaghan’s love of sparkle isn’t limited to jewelry though. Her home is dotted with disco balls that scatter rainbows across the living room. “There’s something magical about things that sparkle,” she says. “Whether it’s jewelry or a disco ball or a beautiful dress.” This detail is as whimsical as it is revealing: her love of sparkle led her to collaborate with Julien Dossena at Paco Rabanne on a chainmail gown for the Met Ball, as well as a custom silver mesh gown for the 2025 Emmys. His pieces are more sculpture than dress, like a piece of jewelry for the whole body. She wore it like armor, a reminder that beauty and strength can shimmer in the same breath.
But for Michelle Monaghan, sparkle isn’t frivolous. It’s a way to continue to shine across time, particularly in an industry still eager to equate a woman’s value with youth. “At this stage in life, I feel grateful for my years and for the lessons they’ve taught me,” she says.
Now a brand ambassador for the skincare brand U Beauty, she reflects, “I am really, sincerely not defined by my age. I feel like every decade has come naturally – with more challenges, and yet more opportunities. I’ve been able to grow into the woman that I am today, the best version of myself I’ve ever been. I feel as wise as I was at 30, but I have more wisdom at 49 than I have ever had.”
Photographer: Olivia Malone
Stylist: Karla Welch
Creative Director: Lizzy Oppenheimer
Styling Assistant: Grace Wrightsell
Hair Stylist: Ramsel Martinez
Makeup Artist: Kate Lee
Manicurist: Stephanie Stone
Entertainment Director At-Large: Glynis Costin
Creative Production: Petty Cash Production
1st Photo Assistant: Brook Keegan
2nd Photo Assistant: Justin Brooks
Digital Tech: Dustin Edward
