I interviewed John Gershgorn, who was Jean Harlow’s jeweler. When she showed him the ring, he examined it and thought, "This is nothing." He sold gem quality star sapphires to actresses like Joan Crawford -- and he told me this was a ring he wouldn't have sold, size or not.

As for what happened to it: your guess is as good as mine. I scoured all of Jean Harlow's probate records, and it's not even listed in the contents, even though other valuable pieces of jewelry are. My theory is that Mother Jean either sold it secretly before the will was probated, or gave it back to William Powell because, as you recall from "Bombshell," Mother Jean stuck him with the bill for her Baby's crypt -- and $25,000 was a fortune in those days. So she may have given him the ring to sell as partial payment towards the crypt.

IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THERE WOULD BE MORE THAN ONE LIKE IT -- DO YOU THINK A RING LIKE THAT WOULD BE MASS PRODUCED?
That's my point. If it was a gem quality star sapphire, it'd be in the Smithsonian by now. Since it isn't, there'd be many -- not hundreds, maybe not even a dozen -- but enough so you'd never know for sure which one was worn by Jean Harlow. Hence the Air Jordan analogy. They all look alike.

WHAT ABOUT THE LIFE-SIZE OIL PAINTING? THAT'S A LITTLE MORE IDENTIFIABLE.
I traced that painting to 1968 -- and believe me, it wasn't easy... At that point it just vanished. I looked through everybody's probate records who owned it, but it's not listed anywhere. I even tracked down Tino Costa's widow (he painted the portrait) but she had no idea. I have a feeling it got left in storage. Because it was big; it wasn't something you could cart around. So either it's still sitting there, or someone has it and doesn't know what it is. Because if they did, chance are we would've hear about it by now.

A PHOTO OF THE PORTRAIT HAS BEEN ADDED TO "THE PLATINUM PAGE" IN HOPES OF SOMEONE RECOGNIZING IT.
Thanks. I did the same thing in "Bombshell," but so far, no luck.

THAT WOULD BE A GREAT FIND!
If it's still around. Something so big doesn't go unnoticed, so you wonder. Accidents happen, things get damaged... Like her diary, which was lost in a flood in Don Roberson's basement in the '60s along with the famous polar bear rug. But I don't mean to whet people's appetites. I’m sure it didn't say "Dear diary, today I found my husband dead." I'd wager it was more creative and abstract.

SINCE SHE LIKED TO DABBLE IN WRITING, IT COULD HAVE CONTAINED ANYTHING.
Exactly.

DID YOU READ HER NOVEL "TODAY IS TONIGHT?
Of course.

ANY THOUGHTS?
There's not much to discuss. She obviously had an idea that was gimmicky -- a woman turns day into night for the love of her husband -- and she got someone to write it for her. What's interesting about it is its heroine, who's a far cry from the kind of roles Jean Harlow played. At the time "Today Is Tonight" was written, she was on strike from MGM, where she'd just done Bombshell, which is about a star who's frustrated and dissatisfied with her career. "Today Is Tonight" seems like her way of saying to the studio, "This is the kind of character I can relate to. This is a woman I want to portray." To me, that's the only interesting aspect of "Today Is Tonight." During her lifetime it wasn't even published. Then "Harlow" came out, and someone decided to cash in on it.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE JEAN HARLOW FILM?
Absolutely. Bombshell. It was her favorite, too -- but it was my favorite even before I knew that. [LAUGHS] It's brilliant satire, and I don’t think Jean Harlow's ever been better -- and that's saying a lot, because she's great in so many movies. I think the writing is genius; [screenwriter] John Lee Mahin's another unsung hero of mine. I mean, there's more great lines in that film -- Lee Tracy telling Harlow, "I don’t care if he has a royal flush in his kidneys!" or her tirade in front of her family...it's an inspired performance because she manages to make the character funny and vulnerable and sexy all at the same time. I showed Bombshell to the cast of 90210 and they were floored; they couldn't believe this girl was their age (22) when she made that film. They kept saying "How does she say all those words?" The sheer breath control... And as anyone who watches t.v. knows, today's actors take a looong tiiime saaaying their liiines because they think it will get them more screen time, and make what they're saying sound more important. I can watch Bombshell over and over. In Dinner at Eight, only her scenes really stand out to me. Red Dust is hotter, but Bombshell's my baby.