History Main / RippingOffTheStringOfPearls

* The epilogue in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' shows a wealthy couple heading down an alley and being best by muggers. The man is struck on the head and the thugs advance on the woman, ripping off her pearl necklace complete with dramatic scattering. [[spoiler:Just when it looks like we're about to witness a new Batman's origin, the thugs are attacked by...''something'']].

* Invoked in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' by Queen Alliandre. In an audience with the mad self-styled Prophet whose army deposed three of her predecessors, he makes a disapproving remark about her obvious wealth, so she tears off her ornate pearl necklace as a donation to his cause. As a third party observes, the gesture costs her a piece of jewelry to appease the most dangerous man in the country.
* In the novelization of ''Film/TheFugitive'', Helen Kimble's killer does this when struggling with her. Richard Kimble arrives home soon after and the first thing that sets off his alarm bells is finding one of her discarded pearls on the floor.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Marge's iconic pearls are ripped off by a hobo outside of the Kwik-E-Mart's bathroom in the episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS14E9StrongArmsOfTheMa The Strong Arms of the Ma]]" which result in Marge feeling vulnerable and developing a fear of leaving her home.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Marge's iconic pearls are ripped off by a hobo outside of the Kwik-E-Mart's bathroom in the episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS14E9StrongArmsOfTheMa The Strong Arms of the Ma]]".

* A [[TheEighties 1988]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKQIUJOr1GA advert for the Volkswagen Golf]] features a woman who has obviously just been dumped (or caught her man cheating) divesting herself of his gifts. She slams the door behind her as she leaves his flat, then dumps her ring back through the mail slot. She starts off down the street and rips off her pearl necklace before chucking it in a bin. She also chucks an expensive-looking brooch and dumps her fur coat, but she chooses to keep the [=VW=] Golf as it was more reliable than the man!

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d048661b_fda4_4608_b018_ddf3dcd1417f.jpeg]]

* Fred's promotion in ''Film/TheFlintstones'' leads to him turning into a RichJerk, and his behavior ultimately costs him his friendship with Barney. When Wilma confronts him over this, Fred haughtily claims that they don't need the Rubbles because they can buy whatever they want. Wilma says that the Rubbles are worth more than anything Fred could buy, and she drives her point home by ripping off the pearl necklace he bought for her.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pearls_image_01.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: [[WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}} Above]]: Inflicting this trope on another[softreturn] [[Series/{{Riverdale}} Below]]: Self-inflicted example]]

* Exploited by [[Creator/AmyPoehler Fairchild Van Waldenberg]] in ''Film/BladesOfGlory'': after Fairchild and Stranz fail to detain Jimmy and Chaz (to stop them from making it to the ice in time to perform their final routine), Fairchild thinks they still have a chance to sabotage the two. She [[https://youtu.be/7UpRNOkb4hw?t=93 tears off the pearl necklace]] she's wearing as part of her Creator/MarilynMonroe costume and flicks the pearls onto the ice, causing Chaz to break his ankle when he skates over one and loses his balance. The camera focuses on the single pearl that injures Chaz as it bounces across the ice and into his path.

** The trope gets [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] right afterwards by Gwen, who feels terribly when Aurelia is [[spoiler: banished from the club even though banishment is Aurelia's punishment for putting Gwen's life in danger]]. [[https://www.webtoons.com/en/comedy/cursed-princess-club/ep-60-to-save-a-princess/viewer?title_no=1537&episode_no=60 Episode 60]] ends with Gwen collecting up the scattered beads from Aurelia's necklace, while [[https://www.webtoons.com/en/comedy/cursed-princess-club/ep-61-hello-again-season-2-finale/viewer?title_no=1537&episode_no=61 Episode 61]] opens with Gwen repairing the necklace and returning it to Aurelia. Gwen's sweet nature is made obvious when she takes the initiative to repair Aurelia's necklace even though [[spoiler: Aurelia called Gwen ugly and tried to get Gwen kicked out of the CPC]]. When Aurelia accepts the repaired necklace from Gwen, she doesn't quite display remorse for her actions or apologize, but Aurelia does come pretty close to admitting she was wrong when she tells Gwen "I feel sorry for that fiancé of yours. Because you make it really difficult for people once they realize they were wrong about you."
* Happens accidentally in ''Webcomic/{{Lackadaisy}}''. Zib grabs Mitzi's pearl necklace, and when Mitzi pulls away, the necklace breaks and the pearls go everywhere. Afterwards Mitzi scrambles to pick up the pearls.

** An interesting execution of the trope happens in [[https://www.webtoons.com/en/comedy/cursed-princess-club/ep-57-the-verdict/viewer?title_no=1537&episode_no=57 Episode 57]]. Princess Aurelia, who wears a doubled string of gold beads/ pearls, has gotten herself in deep trouble with Club President Calpernia for tricking [[spoiler: Princess Gwen]] into visiting the forbidden barn. Calpernia pins Aurelia against the wall of the barn by her necklace while she berates Aurelia for putting another club member in danger, then terrifies Aurelia [[spoiler: by summoning her arachnid spies from the eaves]].Aurelia shrinks back in horror, tearing the necklace in her haste to escape [[spoiler: the army of spiders dangling just above her face]], and the pearls go flying dramatically. Aurelia, who hadn't gotten much spotlight up till that point, is shown to be a bit of a spoiled RichBitch whose jealousy causes her to lash out. Under her veneer of righteous indignation, she's a coward who won't take responsibility for nearly getting another club member [[spoiler: eaten by a giant spider]]. President Calpernia, who has thus far presented herself as a moderate, mature, and levelheaded leader of the Club shows what she's capable of when one of the princesses under her protection is threatened. Though she never loses her cool, President Calpernia clearly demonstrates her control of the situation and the consequences Aurelia will have to face for her actions. Getting Aurelia to break her own necklace mirrors how Aurelia freely "confessed" her misdeeds when she tried to justify her actions to the members of the CPC.

** An interesting execution of the trope happens in [[https://www.webtoons.com/en/comedy/cursed-princess-club/ep-57-the-verdict/viewer?title_no=1537&episode_no=57 Episode 57]]. Princess Aurelia, who wears a doubled string of gold beads/ pearls, has gotten herself in deep trouble with Club President Calpernia for tricking [[spoiler: Princess Gwen]] into visiting the forbidden barn. Calpernia pins Aurelia against the wall of the barn by her necklace while she berates Aurelia for putting another club member in danger, then terrifies Aurelia [[spoiler: by summoning her arachnid spies from the eaves]]. Aurelia shrinks back in horror, tearing the necklace in her haste to escape [[spoiler: the army of spiders dangling just above her face]], and the pearls go flying dramatically. Aurelia, who hadn't gotten much spotlight up till that point, is shown to be a bit of a spoiled RichBitch whose jealousy causes her to lash out. Under her veneer of righteous indignation, she's a coward who won't take responsibility for nearly getting another club member [[spoiler: eaten by a giant spider]]. President Calpernia, who has thus far presented herself as a moderate, mature, and levelheaded leader of the Club shows what she's capable of when one of the princesses under her protection is threatened. Though she never loses her cool, President Calpernia clearly demonstrates her control of the situation and the consequences Aurelia will have to face for her actions. Getting Aurelia to break her own necklace mirrors how Aurelia freely "confessed" her misdeeds when she tried to justify her actions to the members of the CPC.

** 2016: Played with in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' when Martha is killed. She backs away when Joe Chill puts the gun in her face, causing her pearl necklace to snag on the gun. When Chill fires, the gun's recoil breaks the string, causing the pearls to scatter -- in [[SlowMotionDrop dramatic slow motion]], of course.

* As mentioned in the Comic Book folder, all ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' films that deal with the character's [[SuperheroOrigin origin story]] have their own rendition of the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne, with Martha's pearl collar breaking.
** It's Jack Napier who murders Thomas and Martha in ''Film/{{Batman|1989}}'', but not before his partner tears the pearl necklace from Martha's throat. Interestingly, the pearls come off in [[{{Blooper}} one unbroken string]] when tugged, but the individual pearls only start to fall after Thomas and Martha are shot.
** ''Film/BatmanBegins'' has Joe Chill yank Martha's pearls off her neck before shooting her.
** Played with in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' when Martha is killed. She backs away when Joe Chill puts the gun in her face, causing her pearl necklace to snag on the gun. When Chill fires, the gun's recoil breaks the string, causing the pearls to scatter -- in [[SlowMotionDrop dramatic slow motion]], of course.
** The murder of the Wayne couple is featured yet again in ''Film/{{Joker|2019}}'', and so is Martha's collar breaking. This time, [[spoiler: it's one of the clown rioters of the crowd that got set ablaze by Joker's murder of Franklin Murray who kills them, and he rips the collar seemingly for the sake of it.]]

* ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' surprisingly averts the "ripping the necklace from Martha Wayne's neck" part. Instead, Joe Chill forces her to take it off and surrender it. The necklace nonetheless breaks with pearls falling in slow motion on the ground as Chill shoves it in his pocket.

** Played with in ''[[Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice]]'' when Martha is killed. She backs away when Joe Chill puts the gun in her face, causing her pearl necklace to snag on the gun. When Chill fires, the gun's recoil breaks the string, causing the pearls to scatter -- in [[SlowMotionDrop dramatic slow motion]], of course.