One of my favorite places to visit on the Central Coast is Hearst Castle, built by media mogul, William Randolph Hearst! It overlooks the California Coastline with incredible views, was designed by a female architect, and is modeled after European castles and churches. In fact, many of the pieces were imported from Europe and the castle was built around them.
Along with his castle and media empire, one of the most famous things about William Randolph Hearst was his public love affair with the actress, Marion Davies. It is obvious that he gifted her with lots of jewelry over their thirty-year romance (Hearst died in 1951), but what came of her beautiful pieces? I am still in inquiry about them, but I did find one piece, well, one gemstone!
Hearst gifted Marion a brooch during their European tour that had many gemstones, including a cat’s eye Chrysoberyl gemstone, which she wore for years, as it was a very special gift. After Hearst’s death in 1951, Marion married Horace Brown whose wife had passed away ten years prior. They were married for ten years until Marion passed away from cancer.
One Christmas, Marion gifted her husband and stepsons with jewelry using the gemstones of her special brooch from Hearst. Kendall Brown (stepson) was given a ring set with a single cat’s eye Chrysoberyl with the inscription: To Kendall Xmas From Marion. In 2009, Mr. Brown put it on auction through Heritage Auctions with an estimated sell price of $10,000.00 to $15,000.00. I haven’t found what it actually went for, but I am sure it met or exceeded the estimate.
Reportedly, Marion sold most of her jewelry and furs from Hearst when he had financial difficulties, so I am not sure how many pieces are still out there with a clear link to Marion and Hearst. Their romance lasted through the art deco era of jewelry, so I bet it was fantastic!
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