EditorsNov 06, 2026
The Spectrum Pieces I Can’t Stop Thinking AboutFrom a Betta fish brooch to a “dragon’s trove” of zircon eggs, here are seven pieces that’ve stuck with Associate Editor Lauren McLemore.
AuctionsAug 11, 2016
Madonna’s earring desperately sought
A buyer paid more than $34,000 for this single earring featuring a plastic pharaoh and imitation turquoise worn by Madonna in the 1985 film “Desperately Seeking Susan.”
How about $34,375? That is how much one buyer just forked over at auction for just such an earring, which also just happens to be the bauble worn by Madonna in the 1985 movie Desperately Seeking Susan.
The earring, sold by Los Angeles-based Julien’s Auctions at its “Icons and Idols” sale held Friday and Saturday, played a key role in the comedy-drama co-starring Rosanna Arquette.
It was the earring that had the film’s villains pursuing both Madonna and Arquette’s characters because it was, allegedly, a very valuable antiquity that once belonged to Queen Nefertiti and was stolen from a museum.
The earring has a hand-painted molded plastic Egyptian pharaoh with metallic leather backing, imitation turquoise and stone beads. Originally, Julien’s estimated that the earring, accompanied by a black-and-white studio image, would sell for $7,000 to $10,000.
Julien’s Auctions specializes in selling celebrity and sports memorabilia. In April, the auction house sold a pair of rhinestone earrings worn by Marilyn Monroe to a movie premiere for $185,000.
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