Marlene Dietrich's Jarretiere Cuff

Marlene Dietrich held onto only one piece of jewelry throughout her life: her Jarretiere Cuff Bracelet by Van Cleef & Arpels.   Marlene Dietrich's favorite jewel, her Jarretiere Bracelet by Van Cleef & Arpels, was fashioned in 1937 from "all her bits of jewelry," says her grandson, literary agent Peter Riva {2}. He says it was writer Erich Maria Remarque, most famous for his novel All Quiet on the Western Front, who suggested that she deliver to Van Cleef & Arpels (VC&A) a ruby bracelet and necklace, a pair of diamond earrings and a diamond necklace, a number of brooches, and another 20-some baubles which she had lying about {2}. Marlene Dietrich's Jarretiere Bracelet It is reported that Louis Arpels, founder of VC&A, was a close personal friend of Marlene's {6}, and it is he who is credited with the design and manufacture of what is presently called Marlene Dietrich's Jarretiere Cuff Bracelet. A smashing example of Old Hollywood 1930s Glam, this gorgeous bracelet centers on a large retro-style loop decorated in cushion-cut rubies in various sizes. This stunning mass of rubies is trimmed in a single row of calibre-cut white diamonds. Three rows of asymmetrical baguette and calibre-cut white diamonds intrude upon this ruby sea, forming one section of the hinge. The connecting point for the hinge is comprised of baguette and circular cut white diamonds arranged in a trapezoidal design.

All That Remains

Mr. Riva reported in 1992 that this ruby and diamond cuff was all that remains of his grandmother's noteworthy jewelry collection {2}. Marlene Dietrich collected delectable jewels throughout her life, most prominently at the height of her film career, which spanned the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Though she made two films in the 1960s and one as late as 1978, throughout the sixties she primarily performed as a singer, entertaining in her usual glamorous way until she was no longer physically able to perform.  During the 1980s, Marlene Dietrich lived a reclusive life in her Paris apartment until her death in 1992 {7}. Throughout the waning years of her life, she had occasion to sell (or relinquish) most of her stunning jewels in exchange for cash, or to satisfy her back taxes {2}. There went her emeralds and diamonds, jewels she wore in the movie Desire, and her platinum and gold Lily bracelet made by Fulco di Verdura. In the end, she discarded all but one of her jewels: the Jarretiere Cuff by Van Cleef & Arpels.

Of What Significance Jewelry?

It makes one wonder at the significance of this piece in relation to the whole of her life. It seems possible that the gemstones which comprised it were of significant importance, even if their original settings were not. Could those bits and pieces have been heirlooms of some sort, brought over from Germany? Her records indicate no such importance to the actual stones. What the record does indicate is that this jewel might have been closely associated with the writer previously mentioned, Erich Maria Remarque {5}. Mr. Remarque was more than a friend to Marlene Dietrich, and he was also more than a lover {4}. Their attraction to one another was visceral, perhaps even cultural. Like the actress, the writer was born in Germany, and during the Nazi regime his books were banned and his German citizenship was revoked. Eventually, he escaped from Germany in 1938, according to the writers at History. In order to secure his former wife's safe passage out of the country, he remarried her, thus inflaming Marlene's jealousy {4} Remarque and Marlene had met previously, at a luncheon in Venice, where Ms. Dietrich was dining with Josef von Sternberg, whom the New York Times described as "her director, mentor and lover" {3}. According to the article, published in 2011, the moment Mr. Remarque walked onto the scene, Mr. Sternberg made his exit stage left, recognizing a losing battle when he saw one {3}. For the next forty years, wherever her dalliances took her, Marlene Dietrich always seemed to remain connected to Erich Remarque {3}. Over the years, Mr. Remarque gave his friend and lover many pieces of jewelry, including the lapis lazuli bracelet by Cartier. Yet, it was this one jewel that she kept. Perhaps it embodied for her the endurance of her affection for him, or his for her. Whatever those reasons were, she kept them to herself. All that remains is the stark understanding that jewelry becomes far more than the sum of its parts. Do you have a special jewel that you would choose to keep even through economic hardships?

References

1. Becker, Vivenne. "Cuff Power," Sotheby's Magazine, April 2015.
2. Brozan, Nadine. "Chronicle," The New York Times, June 24, 1992.
3. Gates, Anita. "4 Decades Spent Romancing Dietrich," The New York Times, March 11, 2011.
4. Hilton, Tims. Erich Maria Remarque: The Last Romantic. Da Capo Press, 2004.
5. Natalie. "Marlene Dietrich's Jarretiere Bracelet by Van Cleef & Arpels," Jewels du Jour Blog, July 17, 2013.
6. Van Cleef & Arpels. "Marlene Dietrich's Jarretiere Bracelet." Accessed April 4, 2015.
7. Vickers, Hugo. Cecil Beaton Portraits & Profiles. London: Frances Lincoln Limited, 2014.