A set of rhinestone earrings worn by Marilyn Monroe have sold for $185,000 at Julien's Auctions in Los Angeles on April 11.
The lot achieved an increase of 5.6% pa on its previous sale figure of $81,700, acheived at Christie's famous auction of Monroe's possessions in New York in 1999.
 Monroe wore the earrings to a series of premieres in the 1950s |
They were worn to the premiere of Rose Tattoo (1955), which the actress attended with her then husband, the playwright Arthur Miller.
They are also believed to have been sported at the opening of The Middle of the Night on Broadway in 1956.
That the earrings are imitation rather than real diamond highlights the value collectors place on the connection to Monroe.
We have this autographed advertising slip for the film Love Happy (1949), one of her earliest appearances on screen.
An axe used by the actor Jonathon Davies in his role as Gimli in the Lord of the Rings trilogy made $149,000.
It was presented to him after filming by director Peter Jackson - who did the same for all of the main actors in the series.
There were two or three main axes used in filming, with this example crafted from metal and wood and used extensively from the second film onwards.
The lot was consigned by Rhys Davies himself, who commented in a statement prior to the sale: "We are indebted to La Leche League, an international organization founded in the US, which supports breastfeeding mothers…
"I will be making a donation to LLLNZ and hope the publicity attending this auction will draw attention to the benefits to the health of the breastfeeding mother and her child."
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