STAR OF ASIA NECKLACE AND PHOTOGRAPHS

A decorative link chain suspending a large simulated pear-shaped diamond pendant, with halo surround; no clasp. The necklace was the focus of the film They Met In Bombay (MGM, 1941) starring Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell as jewel thieves who compete for the legendary diamond. This necklace is portrayed as the world famous "Star of Asia" worn by the Duchess of Beltravers, played by Jessie Ralph. In the film, the diamond originally belonged to the Rajah of Rangpatam and was brought to England in the 18th century by an ancestor of the late Duke of Beltravers. The necklace was also worn by Mae West in The Heat's On (Columbia, 1943) and Tallulah Bankhead in A Royal Scandal (20th Century, 1945). Accompanied by a vintage photograph of Bankhead wearing the necklace, DVD copies of The Heat's On and They Met In Bombay , and a photograph of the necklace from They Met In Bombay . Chain, 27 1/2 inches