Christina's lost earring...

These earrings were made by my sister – when she was in a jewellery making faze! I just love them. Alas, one night I came home with one missing. I’ve kept the solo earring to remind me of my sister’s handi-work and her gift to me.

Chris
Summer Hill, Sydney

Another lost earring

What can I say...another one bites the dust. Since I started the blog - this is my third lost earring! This lovely pair of silver stud earrings by Bridgette Kennedy are an absolute favourite...so disappointed!

Zara
Sydney, Australia

The Jade Earring...

This fantastic secondhand book was given to me for my birthday...
I love it!



The story is set in Hong Kong and tells the story of a suitor trying to win over his love! He overcomes trials and tribulations and the disappointment of losing his most precious gift to his bride-to-be: a beautiful pair of rare jade earrings.

One earring is lost and his bride is distraught! The wedding is cancelled and he is heartbroken.





The jade earring mysteriously turns up in a hot bowl of noodles over dinner with his love's family.... the earrings are reunited and he wins his love's heart and hand in marriage!


We all love a happy ending!


Chi Ming & the Jade Earring
By Josephine Gladstone
Illustrations by Pearl Binder

Madame sells earrings to relieve debt...

Madame De...
Max Ophüls' 1950s masterpiece.
28 October 2010- By Don Groves
It’s been a long wait for Max Ophüls' classic Madame de... to reach Australian stores: more than 50 years.

Full credit to Madman for acquiring Criterion’s transfer of the 1953 tale of a doomed romantic triangle, which critic Andrew Sarris hailed as the greatest movie ever. I wouldn’t go that far, chiefly because the plot hinges on a blatant contrivance: a pair of diamond heart-shaped earrings which implausibly keep turning up to delight or haunt their owner, Countess Louise de… (Danielle Darrieux), despite the fact they’re sold three times.

Still, that’s a minor and forgivable flaw in a film which is masterfully directed, impeccably acted and richly scored and costumed. General Andre de... (Charles Boyer) gave the earrings to his wife as a wedding present. Short of cash despite their opulent home and lifestyle, Madame de… sells the baubles back to the jeweller, and tells her husband she lost them. Fearing a scandal after the theft is reported in a newspaper, the jeweller informs the General, who retrieves the trinkets and gives them to his mistress. That luckless lass pawns them at a casino in Constantinople, where they fall into the hands of Italian diplomat Baron Donati (Vittorio De Sica), a friend of the General and his wife, who becomes infatuated with the Countess while her husband is away, and gives them to her. Far from being a good luck charm, the earrings bring grief to all three.

Darrieux, who looks stunning in an array of ornate costumes, is divine as a woman torn between her husband and her lover. Boyer is magnificent as a proud man who can tolerate affairs on both sides, but not the thought that his wife loves another man. And De Sica exudes both charm and regret as the debonair Italian who recognises he overstepped the peculiar codes of high society. Ophüls enhances the film with audaciously long, sweeping takes, including a memorable scene which sees the Baron and his lover dancing in one continuous movement over a period of days as they count the days since they’d seen each other.

Extras include audio commentary by Adrian Martin, Senior Research Fellow, Film and Television Studies at Monash University and, and Working with Max Ophüls: interviews with assistant director Alain Jessua, assistant decorator Marc Frédérix and co-writer Annette Wademant.

http://ww.sbs.com.au/films/movie/9661/Madame-De...-

Maradona's earring pays debts

Italy:
Maradona's earring sold to pay tax bill
Bolzano : Italy Jan 14, 2010 Source: AKI

Diego Maradona's diamond earring was sold for 25,000 euros at an Italian auction on Thursday to help pay off his outstanding tax debt. Maradona, one of the world's most celebrated football players, reportedly owes around 36 million euros in taxes to the Italian government from when he played for Napoli from 1984 to 1991.

The auction was held at a hotel in the nothern city of Bolzano by a government debt-collecting agency, Equitalia.

"Bidding started at 5,500 euros," Equitalia's Giovanni Lombardi told Adnkronos International (AKI). "It finally sold for five times that amount."

"A woman from Italy's south bid against four or five other people."

The earring was seized in September when Maradona was visiting a northern Italy health spa to treat obesity and stress.

Lombardi said Maradona has escaped arrest for tax evasion because the statute of limitations has expired.

However, he said officials still had the power to confiscate his valuables.

"He will be careful with the valuables he has whenever he visits Italy," Lombardi said.

Italy confiscated two of the football player's Rolex watches when he visited Naples to play in a football match to raise money for charity in 2006.

Maradona is currently coach of the Argentinian national team.

Parvati's lost earring

While I was researching my forthcoming trip to India, I came across this wonderful story about lost earrings in Varanasi, India. I will try to locate a more detailed story - both are about lost earrings...

Manikarnika Ghat
Two legends are associated with Manikarnika Ghat. According to one, it is believed to be the place where Lord Vishnu dug a pit with his Chakra and filled it with his perspiration while performing various penances. While Lord Shiva was watching Lord Vishnu at that time, the latter's earring ("manikarnika") fell into the pit. According to the second legend, in order to keep Lord Shiva from moving around with his devotees, his consort Goddess Parvati hid her earrings, and asked him to find them, saying that they had been lost on the banks of the Ganges. Goddess Parvati's idea behind the lie was that Lord Shiva would then stay, searching forever for the lost earrings. In this legend, whenever a body gets cremated at the Manikarnika Ghat, Lord Shiva asks the soul whether it has seen the earrings.

Another version on the theme...

Manikaran
Manikaran is a pilgrimage centre for Hindus and Sikhs. The Hindus believe that Manu recreated human life in Manikaran after the flood, making it a sacred area. It has many temples and a gurudwara. There are temples of Lord Rama, Krishna, and Vishnu. The area is well-known for its hot springs and its beautiful landscape.

According to legend, when Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati were walking in the valley, Parvati dropped one of her earrings. The jewel was seized by Shesha, the serpent deity, who then disappeared into the earth with it. Shesha only surrendered the jewel when Shiva performed the cosmic dance, the Tandava and shot the jewel up through the water. Apparently, jewels continued to be thrown up in the waters at Manikaran until the earthquake of 1905.

Both stories were found on
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/manikaran

Girl with the pearl earring

During my christmas holidays - which were very restful and relaxing - I started to think about fables, stories, books and films that feature a lost earring as part of the plot.

Girl with the pearl earring was the first to spring to mind, but if you can think of any other stories,books or films please send them through?