History Main / RippingOffTheStringOfPearls

* The [[Film/TheGreatGatsby2013 2013 adaptation]] of ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby'' takes a few liberties with Jordan's flashback to the day of Daisy's wedding to make it more dramatic and visually impactful. In both versions, Jordan informs Nick that Tom had gifted Daisy a pearl necklace "valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars" as an engagement present, only for Daisy to reject the gift when she receives a letter from Jay right before her wedding. In the book, a languidly drunken Daisy deposits her pearls in a waste basket next to her bed, telling Jordan to return the pearls and break off the engagement. In the [[https://youtu.be/SZfrqmRV2H8?t=1m7s film version]], Daisy rips the strings of pearls off her throat, screaming and crying as she casts them down a long hallway. The magnitude of her action is emphasized by the camera's low angle, showing the pearls rolling away from her. The film plays the symbolism of the moment for all it's worth -- the shot where Tom drapes the pearls around Daisy's 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 drunken outburst, there's a quick cut to Daisy's mother Inverting the trope by re-stringing the pearls (with Jordan's assistance). That shot serves to show how Daisy's own family wants her "leashed" to Tom and his fortune.

[[folder:Advertising]]
* 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!
* A 2014 television [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ1XM9LwS64 commercial]] for Dior's J'adore perfume features Creator/CharlizeTheron climbing out of a gilded, baroque-style room on a length of champagne-colored silk. She stops to remove her shoes before climbing, but as she nears the top of her ascent she rips off a collar of golden pearls around her neck . The camera cuts away to show the pearls clattering to the ground around her discarded shoes, several stories below her, as she emerges from the sumptuously decorated rooms into a gleaming, futusitic cityscape. A voiceover stating that "the past can be beautiful, but it's no place to live" seemingly links the pearls to the idea of the past -- just as she leaves "the past" by literally moving from the antique-styled interior to the more modern exterior, she cuts ties with "the past" metaphorically by removing the necklace.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'', the sequence where the ugly stepsisters ruin Cinderella's [[DoomedNewClothes 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.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}}'': As Kokoum is shot, he grasps at Pocahontas' iconic beaded necklace (which belonged to her mother) -- the necklace breaks off and falls to the ground in pieces, signifying how the shooting breaks relationships between the two sides and brings them to the brink of war. It got fixed at the very end, though.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

** 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 comes off in [[{{Blooper}} one unbroken string]] when tugged, but the individual pearls only start to fall after Thomas and Martha are shot.

** 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.]]

* 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 drives her point home by ripping off the pearl necklace he bought for her.

[[folder:Literature]]
* 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.
* In ''Literature/AMurderIsAnnounced'', Letitia Blacklock always wears a pearl necklace. When she accidentally breaks it and the pearls go everywhere, her horrified reaction makes everyone wonder why the necklace was so important to her. [[spoiler:It was concealing a scar from an operation -- but it was ''Charlotte'' Blacklock who had the operation, not Letitia.]]
* ''Literature/TheNightMayor'' is set in a virtual reality realm based on FilmNoir movies. It's always two thirty in the morning, it's always raining, and you can't throw a rock without hitting somebody getting murdered. One such murder is a woman who gets strangled on a fire escape with her own pearl necklace; as she dies, the necklace breaks and the pearls fall photogenically into the street below.

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]

* Veronica Lodge 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 Season 1, Episode 9]], Veronica learns that her parents' dirty dealings have driven her classmate 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. Extra-extra points for Veronica having explained the emotional significance of the necklace earlier in the episode:

[[folder:Magazines]]

[[folder:Music Videos]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]

** 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 thusfar 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.
** 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 tell Gwen "I feel sorry for that fiance of yours. Because you make it really difficult for people once they realize they were wrong about you."

[[folder:Western Animation]]

* Veronica Lodge 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 Season 1, 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. Extra-extra points for Veronica having explained the emotional significance of the necklace earlier in the episode:

** 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.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{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. It got fixed at the very end, though.

* The [[Film/TheGreatGatsby2013 2013 adaptation]] of ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby'' takes a few liberties with Jordan's flashback to the day of Daisy's wedding to make it more dramatic and visually impactful. In both versions, Jordan informs Nick that Tom had gifted Daisy a pearl necklace "valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars" as an engagement present, only for Daisy to reject the gift when she receives a letter from Jay right before her wedding. In the book, a languidly drunken Daisy deposits her pearls in a waste basket next to her bed, telling Jordan to return the pearls and break off the engagement. In the [[https://youtu.be/SZfrqmRV2H8?t=1m7s film version]], Daisy rips the strings of pearls off her throat, screaming and crying as she casts them down a long hallway. The magnitude of her action is emphasized by the camera's low angle, showing 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 Daisy's 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 drunken outburst, there's a quick cut to Daisy's mother Inverting the trope by re-stringing the pearls (with Jordan's assistance). That shot serves to show how Daisy's own family wants her "leashed" to Tom and his fortune.

* 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]] of ''Webcomic/CursedPrincessClub''. 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 the [[spoiler: army of spiders dangling just above her face]], and the pearls go flying dramatically.

[[caption-width-right:350: [[Disney/{{Cinderella}} Above]]: Inflicting this trope on another[softreturn] [[Series/{{Riverdale}} Below]]: Self-inflicted example]]

* In ''Disney/{{Cinderella}}'', the sequence where the ugly stepsisters ruin Cinderella's [[DoomedNewClothes 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.
* ''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. It got fixed at the very end, though.

* 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]] of Webcomic/CursedPrincessClub. 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 the [[spoiler: army of spiders dangling just above her face]], and the pearls go flying dramatically.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

Often used as a SymbolicallyBrokenObject. Can be played for laughs if the characters break a necklace and then scramble to pick up the individual beads afterwards. In Real Life, genuine pearls generally have knots tied between each pearl to prevent rubbing and chipping, which means [[RealityIsUnrealistic this trope is unlikely unless the necklace was a cheap knockoff]].

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

* ''Series/{{Monk}}}'': In the episode "Mr. Monk and the Class Reunion," Kyle Brooks is plotting to kill his wife and make it look like a suicide using a suicide note she wrote in college. Before he does that, he has to kill a nurse who knew about the original note. He lures her into a stairwell in her building, where he then shoves her down the stairs to her death. Then he pulls out a necklace, breaks it, sending the beads scattering, with the intended effect being to make it look like the nurse slipped on the beads. His efforts are all for naught, as Captain Stottlemeyer quickly figures out that the scene was staged.

* Exploited by Creator/AmyPoehler's character 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.

* Invoked in ''Film/HomeAlone2LostInNewYork'' -- as Kevin is being chased through the streets of New York by crooks Harry and Marv, he stops to buy a bunch of cheap beaded necklaces from a street vendor. Kevin breaks the strings and spills the plastic pearls all over the sidewalk, causing Harry and Marv to [[SlipperySkid slip]] and [[ThePratfall fall on their behinds]]. This gives Kevin enough time to escape.

* Veronica Lodge 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. Extra-extra points for Veronica having explained the emotional significance of the necklace earlier in the episode:

* 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...

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 on 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.

Like InsigniaRipoffRitual, this trope generally comes in two flavors:

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]

** The murder of the Wayne couple is featured yet again in ''Film/{{Joker|2019}}'', and so is Martha's collar breaking.

* It's Jack Napier who murders Thomas and Martha Wayne in ''Film/Batman1989'', 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.
* 2005's ''Film/BatmanBegins'' has Joe Chill yank Martha Wayne's pearls off her neck before shooting her.
* Played with in ''[[Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice]]'' when Martha Wayne 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.

* This trope was in use as much as a century ago, as evinced by [[Creator/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 Golden Eyes wearing at minimum 3 strands of pearls, and the necklaces are given special mention in the passage that describes her outfit: ''"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]] depicts Golden Eyes in the aftermath of Von Schwatzenburg's attempt to force himself upon her (not to worry -- Von Schwatzenburg is tackled by the heroic canine companion Uncle Sam and knocked out by a falling champagne bottle). Her previously-described finery is [[ClothingDamage torn and tattered]] and her hair tumbles from its updo, and the text accompanying the illustration 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 of Installment 7 makes no specific mention of the pearls, the illustration shows that the necklaces mentioned previously are now hanging by a thread, with loose pearls scattered at Golden Eyes' feet and across the unconscious form of Von Schwatzenburg.

* This trope was in use as much as a century ago, as evinced by [[Creator/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 Golden Eyes wearing at minimum 3 strands of pearls, and the necklaces are given special mention in the passage that describes her outfit: ''"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 in the aftermath of Von Schwatzenburg attempting to force himself upon her (only for Von Schwatzenburg to be tackled by the heroic dog Uncle Sam and knocked out with a champagne bottle). The text accompanying the illustration 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 of Installment 7 makes no specific mention of the pearls, the illustration shows that the necklaces mentioned previously are now hanging by a thread, with loose pearls scattered at Golden Eyes' feet and across the unconscious form of Von Schwatzenburg.

* The [[Film/TheGreatGatsby 2013 adaptation]] of ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby'' takes a few liberties with Jordan's flashback to the day of Daisy's wedding to make it more dramatic and visually impactful. In both versions, Jordan informs Nick that Tom had gifted Daisy a pearl necklace "valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars" as an engagement present, only for Daisy to reject the gift when she receives a letter from Jay right before her wedding. In the book, a languidly drunken Daisy deposits her pearls in a waste basket next to her bed, telling Jordan to return the pearls and break off the engagement. In the [[https://youtu.be/SZfrqmRV2H8?t=1m7s film version]], Daisy rips the strings of pearls off her throat, screaming and crying as she casts them down a long hallway. The magnitude of her action is emphasized by the camera's low angle, showing 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 Daisy's 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 drunken outburst, there's a quick cut to Daisy's mother Inverting the trope by re-stringing the pearls (with Jordan's assistance). That shot serves to show how Daisy's own family wants her "leashed" 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://youtu.be/SZfrqmRV2H8?t=1m7s film version]], Daisy rips the strings 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.
* Invoked in ''Film/HomeAlone2LostInNewYork'' -- as Kevin is being chased through the streets of New York by crooks Harry and Marv, he stops to buy a bunch of cheap imitation pearl necklaces from a street vendor. Kevin breaks the strings and spills the plastic pearls all over the sidewalk, causing Harry and Marv to [[SlipperySkid slip]] and [[ThePratfall fall on their behinds]]. This gives Kevin enough time to escape.

* 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 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.