Ring Linked to Media Tycoon William Randolph Hearst Up For Auction

Hector Cantu offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print.
Feel free to use this article in your newsletter, website, ezine, blog, or forum.
-----------
PUBLICATION GUIDELINES
- You have permission to publish this article for free providing the "About the Author" box is included in its entirety.
- Do not post/reprint this article in any site or publication that contains hate, violence, porn, warez, or supports illegal activity.
- Do not use this article in violation of the US CAN-SPAM Act. If sent by email, this article must be delivered to opt-in subscribers only.
- If you publish this article in a format that supports linking, please ensure that all URLs and email addresses are active links.
- Please send a copy of the publication, or an email indicating the URL to hectorc@HA.com
- Content Crooner (www.ContentCrooner.com) has distributed this article on behalf of the author. Content Crooner does not own this article, please respect the author's copyright and publication guidelines. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use this article.
-----------
Article Title: Ring Linked to Media Tycoon William Randolph Hearst Up For Auction
Author: Hector Cantu
Category: Collecting, Jewelry, Investing
Word Count: 342
Keywords: William Randoph Hearst, Marion Davies, Heritage Auctions, Gone With the Wind, jewelry
Author's Email Address: hectorc@HA.com
Article Source: http://www.contentcrooner.com
------------------ ARTICLE START ------------------

Kendall Brown was only a teenager, but he already was being mentioned in the national gossip columns of Louella Parsons.

It was the 1950s and Brown kept company with some of America's most famous celebrities. His dad Horace had a small role in "Gone with the Wind," and appeared as a bit player in numerous Hollywood movies. Along the way, the elder Brown befriended media mogul William Randolph Hearst and his companion Marion Davies.

In the months following Hearst's death in August 1951, the relationship between Davies and Brown blossomed and the two were married (Horace's own wife had died 10 years earlier). Visitors to the home included Clark Gable, Dick Powell, Glenn Ford, Mary Pickford and Joe Kennedy.

Ken Brown and his brothers were immediately thrust into the celebrity spotlight. "We were in Life magazine," says Brown, now 77. "One day, [champion boxer] Jack Dempsey's daughter showed up at our home in Beverly Hills to meet us, and we started dating."

The first Christmas after his father married Davies, the actress gave her new husband and stepsons cat's eye rings made from one of her favorite brooches. "I later learned that Hearst had given Marion the brooch on one of their trips to Europe," Brown says. "It was a special gift."

Brown's father, who died in 1972, lost his ring, while the rings given to his brothers are now in private hands. After all these years, Brown has consigned his ring to Heritage Auctions' upcoming jewelry auction, scheduled for Dec. 7-9, 2009, in Dallas. The cat's eye chrysoberyl, gold ring -- inscribed "To Kendall Xmas '51 From Marion" -- is expected to fetch between $10,000 and $15,000.

"People today see Marion Davies as William Randolph Hearst's mistress," Brown says. "In those days living with somebody was taboo. But she was much more than that. She was a smart woman. She was adventurous. She was a pilot and flew her own plane. She was charitable and gave to children's hospitals. Marion was the nicest person I ever meet in my lifetime and we all loved her very much."

Hector Cantu is editorial director at Heritage Magazine (www.HeritageMagazine.com), where this story originally appeared. For a free subscription, visit www.HeritageMagazine.com.
------------------ ARTICLE END ------------------