This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/21/2018
Marilyn Monroe' wore this rhinestone crystal "engagement ring" in her most beloved film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." Monroe wore the ring throughout the movie and it can be seen clearly when Monroe's character Loralei Lee flaunts it to her friend Dorothy Shaw (played by Jane Russell). This was worn during the musical number "Bye Bye Baby" and very likely underneath her gloves during the other musical numbers such as "When Love Goes Wrong" and "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend". She was presented the ring very early in the film and is seen wearing it in almost every scene since. Monroe kept the ring after filming as a memento of her first "big" film. Marilyn Monroe was already a box office star but the studio kept treating her badly, while Russell (her costar) earned between $100,000-$200,000 for her appearance while Monroe got $18,000 for her work (roughly $1,500 per week). During this film she finally got a dressing room after famously saying to the Fox executives, "I am the blonde, and it is Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." This ring is symbolic of Monroe's fight to the top.Everything she had she earned. Monroe wore the ring throughout the movie and it can be seen clearly when Monroe's character Loralie Lee flaunts it to her friend Dorothy Shaw (played by Jane Russell). Monroe kept the ring after filming as a memento of her first "big" film. The ring comes from the personal collection of Sidney Rosenstein who worked in the motion picture industry, on both coasts, from the 1940's through the mid-1980's. Over the years of his working in the industry, Rosenstein acquired a collection of cinema and star memorabilia. He obtained the ring from Inez Melson, Marilyn Monroe's business manager in the early 1960's, shortly after Monroe's death. Very good condition. The ring is accompanied by photos from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" showing Monroe wearing the ring, a letter of provenance from Sidney Rosenstein's son David Rosenstein, the Executor of his Estate, as well as a Gotta Have Rock & Roll™ Certificate of Authenticity.