Marilyn Monroe’s Iconic 24-Carat Diamond Necklace Sells At Auction For A Whopping $1.2 million
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend! The 24-carat necklace Marilyn Monroe wore while singing that signature song in her 1953 movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was recently sold by Christie’s in Hong Kong for 1 million pounds (or about $1.28 million).
“It’s gorgeous!” Marilyn is said to have squealed when she first saw the canary-yellow pendant, which was dug up from a mine in India during the 15th century. The gem was purchased by Samuel H. Deutsch, the president of a diamond-cutting firm in Cleveland, in 1944.
It was then sold to a jeweler in Detroit in 1953. Christie’s auctioned it off for $297,000 in 1990. The latest owner was not revealed, but jewelry experts say it might have been a steal since celebrity-related gems often increase in value.
Marilyn was such an iconic celebrity that her jewelry isn’t the only prized-possession from the star that has sold at auction. The dress that she wore when she sang “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to the late John F. Kennedy in 1962 was previously sold at auction for $4.8 million.
According to People, “the dress originally cost $12,000 and was so tight [Marilyn] had to be sewn into it prior to her performance.” Today, fans can see the famous dress at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum in LA.
If you also want to gaze upon some more Marilyn memorabilia, then check out her friend and celebrity photographer George Barris’ 2001 book, Marilyn: Her Life In Her Own Words: Marilyn Monroe’s Revealing Last Words and Photographs. The book contains the last six photographs that were ever taken of the late star before her August 1962 death.
“When I first saw her I thought she was the most beautiful, fantastic person I’d ever met,” Barris previously told the Los Angeles Daily News about Marilyn. “She completely knocked me off my feet!”
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