[Tidbits] A Star's Ruby Bracelet

Atavism anyone? Better yet. how about Lili Marlene? Even better yet.
how about Marlene Dietrich? As an aside for those of you who think
you know but don’t. read on. The song was first sung by Lale Anderson
in 1939 and was called The Girl under the Lantern. The poem was first
written by a chap named Hans Leip in 1915. But when you’re as
striking a star as was Marlene Dietrich. far and away one of my
favorites of the old days. then the song belongs to you and only to
you regardless of who sang it or sung it first. or even who wrote it.
For those poor deprived souls amongst you have never heard it. look
it up and listen to it in English. It’s haunting. I mourn the
greatnesses of past times.

But let us not digress to the point where we miss the point. Which is
jewelry. is it not? Which of course brings us to film. Logical. no?
Which brings us to Alfred Hitchock. More logic if you please. Which
brings us to his 1950 film called Stage Fright. Endless logic
pervades. Which brings us to Van Cleef & Arpels. Ah. a goal achieved.
Homogeny anyone?

So you get a large cauldron and you start mixing in the ingredients.
A dash of Marlene. a pinch of ol’ Hitch. a flick. and a famous
jewelry duo. Mix 'em all together over a low flame in the dark of
night under a shimmering moon and pretty soon you’ve got the
glimmering of a tale.

Here’s what it is. I extrapolate. One fine sunny day probably on or
before 1937… as Marlene was surely walking along some tree line
boulevard it came to her in a flash that her wrist was bare. Ach du
lieber (oh my dear for you Anglophiles) she said to herself. You need
a bracelet to cover das wrist.

Diamonds would be nice, she mused. And some rubies too. So to where
does one go when one needs something for one’s wrist she thought
while musing her random thoughts. Why. to Van Cleef & Arpels of
course. Which she did. And she ordered her bracelet. which they
subsequently made in platinum and delivered and which she wore on
many occasions. But the most famous occasion as regarded the wearing
of the bracelet was when she wore it while starring in Hitchcock’s
movie: Stage Fright. Ah. it has now all come together. Nice. no?

If one equates opulence with smashing. then this is one smashing
bracelet. If one does not equate one with the other… then it is at
its least descriptive. opulent to the Nth degree. The pave work is so
flawlessly impressive as to make one wonder if it’s prongs. all the
while taking into account 1937 which makes me wonder if they had the
technology for creating this type of prong-work. I don’t know. If any
of you out there do … let me know.

And now. ta-dumm. You know what I’m talking about. Go. Leave. You
know what. You know why. You know whence.

And you know the rest. The visit to the image. also known as the
viewing experience. You know where. Home page.
http://www.tyler-adam.com. Scroll down. Left side. [Tidbits]. Click.
And there for your sensory optic pleasure you will see Marlene
Dietrich’s diamond and ruby platinum bracelet made by Van Cleef &
Arpels which she wore in Stage Fright.

And there ya have it. That’s it for this week folks. Catch you all
next week.

Benjamin Mark