History Main / RippingOffTheStringOfPearls

* Veronica of ''Series/{{Riverdale}}'' owns a string of pearls that were a gift from her father Hiram (before he went to prison for fraud and embezzlement). In [[Recap/RiverdaleS1E9Chapter9LaGrandeIllusion episode 9]], she learns that her parents' dirty dealings have driven Ethel Muggs' family into bankruptcy and caused Mr. Muggs to attempt suicide. Despairing of her family's actions, Veronica dashes to the girl's locker room so she can cry in private and ends up tearing the pearls off her neck out of disgust with Hiram's actions. Extra points for doing it in front of a mirror and the SlowMotionDrop as the pearls bounce off the floor next to her 3-inch heels.

* ''Disney/{{Pocahontas}}'': As Kokoum is shot, he grasps at Pocahontas' necklace (which belonged to her mother) and it breaks off and falls to the floor in pieces, signifying how the shooting breaks relationships between the two sides and brings them to the brink of war.

Can be played for laughs if the characters break a necklace and then scramble to pick up the individual beads afterwards.

* The various versions and adaptations of ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' produced since ''Comicbook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' often have Joe Chill dramatically rip off Martha Wayne's pearls, complete with a SlowMotionDrop of said pearls before shooting her and Thomas dead.
** For added dramatic (and horrific) effect, Miller's "Dark Knight Returns" depicts the gun getting snagged by Martha's pearls, causing the killer to position the muzzle directly against her neck before pulling the trigger...
* This trope was in use as much as a century ago, as evinced by [[Artist/NellBrinkley Nell Brinkley's]] WWI serial ''ComicBook/GoldenEyesAndHerHeroBill'', released between 1918 and 1919. [[http://cartoons.osu.edu/digital_albums/nellbrinkley/large/11.jpg Installment 6]](post-rename) shows protagonist Golden Eyes sumptuously attired as part of her GoGoEnslavement to the nefarious German Captain Hugo Von Schwatzenburg. The illustration depicts her wearing at least 3 strands of pearls, and the necklaces are given special mention in the passage that describes Golden Eyes "decked out in siren-fashion, made gorgeous, her gold curls piled high, her throat laced with pearls." [[http://cartoons.osu.edu/digital_albums/nellbrinkley/large/12.jpg Installment 7]] shows her finery torn and tattered after Von Schwatzenburg has attempted to force himself upon her, only to be attacked by the heroic dog Uncle Sam and get knocked out with a champagne bottle. The passage describes Von Schwatzenburg "clutching at 'Golden-Eyes' knees, dragging the toppling golden star of a candlestick down with him, and lying at last, stunned, his hands a-froth with lace and roses, a guttering candle on his chest!" Though the text makes no mention of the pearls, the illustration shows that the necklaces of the previous installment are hanging by a thread, with loose pearls scattered at Golden Eyes' feet and across the unconscious form of Von Schwatzenburg.

* It's Jack Napier who murders Thomas and Martha Wayne in the 1989 ''Film/{{Batman}}'', but not before his partner tears the pearl necklace from Martha's throat. Interestingly, the pearls comes off in [[{{Blooper}} one unbroken string]] when tugged, but the individual pearls only start to fall after Thomas and Martha are shot.

** For added dramatic (and horrific)effect, Miller's "Dark Knight" depicts the gun getting snagged by Martha's pearls, causing the killer to simply position the muzzle directly against her neck before pulling the trigger...

** For added dramatic effect,''Comicbook/DarkKnight'' depicts the gun getting snagged by Martha's pearls, causing the killer to simply position the muzzle directly against her neck before pulling the trigger...

* In Music/{{Madonna}}'s video "Oh Father," a little girl is seen playing dress-up in her dead mother's clothing. Her angry, grief-stricken father confronts her and rips a strand of pearls from her neck. The falling pearls reappear throughout the rest of the video, a symbol of loss.

* In [[Creator/VCAndrews]]' [[Literature/DollangangerSeries]], Corrine Foxworth wears a signature rope of pearls that's broadcast pretty loudly as the symbol of all the luxury she sacrificed her children to obtain. In possibly one of the longest projected examples of this trope in literature, it takes [[spoiler:three books]] before someone finally tears the pearls off her neck.

* Veronica of ''Series/{{Riverdale}}'' owns a string of pearls that were a gift from her father -- before he went to prison. In [[Recap/RiverdaleS1E9Chapter9LaGrandeIllusion episode 9]], when she learns that her parents' dirty dealings have driven Ethel Muggs' family into bankruptcy and caused Mr. Muggs to attempt suicide, she dashes to the locker room so she can cry in private and ends up tearing the pearls off her neck out of disgust with her family's actions. Extra points for doing it in front of a mirror and the SlowMotionDrop as the pearls bounce off the floor next to her 3-inch heels.

When a lady in a visual medium is wearing a lovely string of pearls around her neck, the odds of a DramaticNecklaceRemoval occurring skyrocket. Why? Because removing jewelry with such force that it breaks is great for drama, and the individual pearls look ''awesome'' in [[SlowMotionDrop slow motion]] as they clatter to the ground. Similar to PricelessMingVase or AshesToCrashes -- when you see this item, you can expect it to be broken.

* '''Pearls Ripped Off by the Wearer''': If the wearer rips off her own pearls, she's indicating a visceral rejection of everything the pearls represent to her; wealth, femininity, or even a suitor if those pearls were a gift. Or she might just be GenreSavvy enough to use the multitude of small, round pearls to create [[SlipperySkid hazardous terrain]] around her.

[[caption-width-right:350: [[Disney/{{Cinderella}} Above]]: Type 1 example of this trope[softreturn] [[Series/{{Riverdale}} Below]]: Type 2 example]]

# '''Pearls Ripped Off by an Assailant''': If the pearls are ripped off by an assailant, it indicates that the wearer is dealing with a dangerous or cruel enemy. She's in a confrontation that's turning violent, she's likely not dressed for battle, and someone who is willing to damage an expensive piece of jewelry like that obviously has no qualms about damaging the person wearing the jewelry.
# '''Pearls Ripped Off by the Wearer''': If the wearer rips off her own pearls, she's indicating a visceral rejection of everything the pearls represent to her; wealth, femininity, or even a suitor if those pearls were a gift. Or she might just be GenreSavvy enough to use the multitude of small, round pearls to create [[SlipperySkid hazardous terrain]] around her.

Whereas a DramaticNecklaceRemoval is focused on the retrieval of a PlotCoupon in the form of a necklace, this trope relies on the symbolism of a pearl necklace coming undone by force. As such, the trope leans on the symbolic connotations that pearls have: pearls are considered a very feminine gem, and are often used to represent classic beauty and elegance in a character. [[note]]In modern western fashion, a single pearl in a tie pin or a cufflink is an acceptable accessory for a wealthy man -- but you'll never see a guy wearing a string of pearls as an accessory unless he's {{Crossdressing}}, due to how strong the association between [[AlwaysFemale pearl necklaces and femininity]] is.[[/note]] Strings of pearls can also indicate that a character is wealthy (usually OldMoney) or at least connected to the upper class. Any girl wearing a string of pearls is likely on her way to (or just returning from) a fancy event. If she's an ActionGirl wearing them in a dangerous situation, it can be an indication that she's about to start KickingAssInAllHerFinery.

[[caption-width-right:350: [[Disney/{{Cinderella}} Above]]: a type one example of this trope.[softreturn] [[Series/{{Riverdale}} Below]]: a type two example.]]

# '''Pearls Ripped Off By an Assailant''': If the pearls are ripped off by an assailant, it indicates that the wearer is dealing with a dangerous or cruel enemy. She's in a confrontation that's turning violent, she's likely not dressed for battle, and someone who is willing to damage an expensive piece of jewelry like that obviously has no qualms about damaging the person wearing the jewelry.
# '''Pearls Ripped Off By the Wearer''': If the wearer rips off her own pearls, she's indicating a visceral rejection of everything the pearls represent to her; wealth, femininity, or even a suitor if those pearls were a gift. Or she might just be GenreSavvy enough to use the multitude of small, round pearls to create [[SlipperySkid hazardous terrain]] around her.

!!Examples of this trope include:

[[AC: Advertising]]

[[AC: Anime and Manga]]

[[AC: Comics]]

[[AC: Film - Animated]]

[[AC: Film - Live Action]]

[[AC: Literature]]

[[AC: Television - Live Action]]

[[AC: Webcomic]]

[[AC: Western Animation]]
* 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]].

This trope generally comes in two flavors:

[[caption-width-right:350: Above: a type one example of this trope.[softreturn] Below: a type two example.]]

# Pearls Ripped Off By an Assailant: If the pearls are ripped off by an assailant, it indicates that the wearer is dealing with a dangerous or cruel enemy. She's in a confrontation that's turning violent, she's likely not dressed for battle, and someone who is willing to damage an expensive piece of jewelry like that obviously has no qualms about damaging the person wearing the jewelry.
# Pearls Ripped Off By the Wearer: If the wearer rips off her own pearls, she's indicating a visceral rejection of everything the pearls represent to her; wealth, femininity, or even a suitor if those pearls were a gift. Or she might just be GenreSavvy enough to use the multitude of small, round pearls to create [[SlipperySkid hazardous terrain]] around her.

* The [[Film/TheGreatGatsby 2013 adaptation]] of ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby'' takes a few liberties with the scene right before Daisy's wedding to make it more dramatic (and visually appealing). In both versions, Jordan informs Nick that Tom gifted Daisy a pearl necklace "valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars" as an engagement/ wedding present. In the book, a languidly drunken Daisy deposits her pearls into a waste basket next to her bed and tells Jordan to return them. In the [[https://youtu.be/SZfrqmRV2H8?t=1m6s film version]], Daisy rips the string of pearls off her throat, screaming and crying as she casts them down a long hallway. The magnitude of her action is emphasized by a low angle shot that shows the pearls rolling away from her. The film plays the symbolism of the moment for all it's worth -- the shot where Tom draped the pearls around her neck ends when he draws her in for a kiss, cutting to a closeup of the necklace clenched in his hand like a leash. After Daisy's outburst, there's a quick cut showing her mother re-stringing the pearls (with Jordan's assistance) that serves to show how her own family wants her tied down to Tom and his fortune.

* The [[Film/TheGreatGatsby 2013 adaptation]] of ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby'' takes a few liberties with the scene right before Daisy's wedding to make it more dramatic (and visually appealing). In both versions, Jordan informs Nick that Tom gifted Daisy a pearl necklace "valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars" as an engagement/ wedding present. In the book, a languidly drunken Daisy deposits her pearls into a waste basket next to her bed and tells Jordan to return them. In the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZfrqmRV2H8?t=1m6s film version]], Daisy rips the string of pearls off her throat, screaming and crying as she casts them down a long hallway. The magnitude of her action is emphasized by a low angle shot that shows the pearls rolling away from her. The film plays the symbolism of the moment for all it's worth -- the shot where Tom draped the pearls around her neck ends when he draws her in for a kiss, cutting to a closeup of the necklace clenched in his hand like a leash. After Daisy's outburst, there's a quick cut showing her mother re-stringing the pearls (with Jordan's assistance) that serves to show how her own family wants her tied down to Tom and his fortune.

* The [[Film/TheGreatGatsby 2013 adaptation]] of ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby'' takes a few liberties with the scene right before Daisy's wedding to make it more dramatic (and visually appealing). In both versions, Jordan informs Nick that Tom gifted Daisy a pearl necklace "valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars" as an engagement/ wedding present. In the book, a languidly drunken Daisy deposits her pearls into a waste basket next to her bed and tells Jordan to return them. In the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZfrqmRV2H8 film version]], Daisy rips the string of pearls off her throat, screaming and crying as she casts them down a long hallway. The magnitude of her action is emphasized by a low angle shot that shows the pearls rolling away from her. The film plays the symbolism of the moment for all it's worth -- the shot where Tom draped the pearls around her neck ends when he draws her in for a kiss, cutting to a closeup of the necklace clenched in his hand like a leash. After Daisy's outburst, there's a quick cut showing her mother re-stringing the pearls (with Jordan's assistance) that serves to show how her own family wants her tied down to Tom and his fortune.

* It's Jack Napier who murders Thomas and Martha Wayne in the 1989 ''Film/{{Batman}}'', but not before his partner tears the pearls from Martha's throat. Interestingly, the string of pearls comes off in one unbroken string when tugged, but the individual pearls only start to fall after Thomas and Martha are shot.

* In ''Disney/{{Cinderella}}'', the sequence where the ugly stepsisters ruin Cinderella's first gown is kicked off when Drizella wrenches a string of blue beads off Cinderella's neck. Not quite pearls, but the the overall effect is similar -- Anastasia and Drizella proceed to rip the terrified Cinderella's dress to shreds just as their coach is arriving. They exit, and a wide shot shows Cinderella in aftermath of their attack: clutching the remains of her ragged dress, staring in disbelief at the scraps of torn fabric and loose beads at her feet.

[[caption-width-right:350: Above: a type one example of this trope. Below: a type two example.]]