Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is showing at Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday, August 3 at 2:00 pm, as part of ‘Hollywood Gems,’ a summer film series accompanying the exhibition, Artists’ Jewellery: From Cubism to Pop.
“Conversely for a movie star who famously sung ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’, in the 1953 hit film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and made diamonds synonymous with the engagement ring, Monroe didn’t actually have a love affair with jewellery … Surprisingly even the indelible image of Monroe coated in jewels (as well as the opening scene featuring triangle link necklace, cuff bracelet, hip brooch) and the hot pink silk dress in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes are costume not real diamonds … the largest piece she wore in her lifetime was the Moon of Baroda. The 24.04 carat pear-shaped, fancy yellow moon diamond necklace was loaned to her for the film’s promotion.
Other jewellery collectables so synonymous with Monroe’s glitzy chic include the Fox publicity shots by staff photographer Frank Powolny, in which Monroe wears a racy gold lamé pleated dress designed by William Travilla, with matching gold plated clip on earrings featuring filigree spheres accentuated with simulated diamonds. ‘Those earrings were actually designed by DeRosa but rented for the shoot from our studios,’ explains a representative for Joseff of Hollywood … Joseff made the dual gold cuffs that she wears when trying on the tiara in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as well as the engagement ring and the pair of ribbon design clip on earrings with pearls worn in publicity shots.”
– Davina Catt, Something About Rocks
FYI…
The gold-plated earrings shown below were sold for $112,500, and the second pair with simulated pearls fetched $81,250 at Julien’s Auctions in 2017; while in 2018, the Moon of Baroda sold for £966,400 at Christie’s in Hong Kong (and a signed photo of Marilyn wearing the diamond fetched £26,000.)
The Marilyn Report 