Diamonds, Pearls, Emeralds, & Rubies: Elizabeth Taylor’s Dazzling Jewelry Collection to Be Sold at Auction (video)
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on September 8, 2011
Elizabeth Taylor's collection of jewels, worth millions, are going to auction
Legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor, who passed away in March at age 79, enjoyed a lavish lifestyle — she was one of the most glamorous and headline-grabbing Hollywood celebrities in the world for many years. She was well-known for her passion for expensive jewelry, especially diamonds, so much so that she even named her signature fragrance White Diamonds.
Die-hard frugalista that I am, even I can’t help but stare in utter wonder at the dazzling array of priceless gems set in rings, necklaces, earrings, and tiaras that Taylor collected from male admirers and her many husbands over the years.
Taylor’s vast collection of precious jewels, valued at $30 million, are now headed off to auction. A portion of the proceeds from the exhibition admissions and the publications related to the sales will reportedly be donated to The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. Proceeds from the jewelry auctions will go to Taylor’s estate.
From Record Online, Star Gazing: Liz Taylor’s jewelry collection to be auctioned:
Elizabeth Taylor dazzled the world with her luminous beauty, lavish lifestyle — and an unquenchable passion for diamonds and jewels that was fueled by the great loves of her life.
The late Hollywood star amassed one of the foremost jewelry collections in the world, including a 33.19-carat diamond ring and a 16th century pear-shaped pearl from one of her seven husbands, Richard Burton.
Christie’s auction house is selling her complete jewelry collection, valued at $30 million, in New York Dec. 13-14.
“These are the top jewels that Elizabeth Taylor received from the great loves of her life, Mike Todd and Richard Burton,” said Christie’s jewelry expert Rahul Kadakia. “They’re from moments in life that were very dear to her,” jewels that were purchased in Bulgari in Rome, at Cartier in New York and at auction.
It’s an extraordinary collection of rubies, diamonds, emeralds and sapphires in intricate and bold designs.
Associated Press, Elizabeth Taylor’s Jewels to Be Sold
BBC has a gorgeous slide show of Taylor’s jewelry collection.
From The Telegraph, Elizabeth Taylor’s jewels up for auction:
She once said that the three loves of her life were Mike Todd, Richard Burton and jewellery. Now the lavish gifts that the two men gave Elizabeth Taylor to satisfy the third of her passions are to go on sale.
The late actress’s entire collection of 300 pieces, valued at $30 million (£18.8 million), will be auctioned at Christie’s in New York in December, it was announced on Wednesday.
Most were gifts from Todd, the only one of Taylor’s seven husbands whom she did not divorce — he died a year into their marriage — and Burton, whose grand gestures of love for his fellow star came to symbolise the intensity of their relationship.
Lots will include the first jewel Burton bought for Taylor — the 33.19-carat Asscher-cut Krupp Diamond, which later became known as The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond. Set in a platinum ring, the diamond, which Burton bought for $305,000 in 1968, is expected to fetch up to $3.5 million (£2.2m).
Other standout items include the 16th-century La Peregrina, one of the largest and most symmetrically perfect pear-shaped pearls in the world, which Burton bought for Taylor in 1969 as a Valentine’s Day gift.
King Philip II of Spain gave the pearl to Mary I of England before their marriage in 1554. When Mary died in 1558, the pearl returned to Spain, where it remained on show in the royal court.
Elizabeth Taylor wearing the famous 69.42-karat Taylor-Burton Diamond mounted on a necklace, then the world's costliest gem, in public for the first time on November 16, 1969 at Princess Grace's 40th birthday party in Monaco | Life Magazine
From Huffington Post, Elizabeth Taylor’s Iconic Jewels Coming To Auction:
Among the standouts is the 16th-century La Peregrina, one of the largest and most symmetrically perfect pear-shaped pearls in the world, which Burton purchased for Taylor in 1969 as a Valentine’s Day gift.
The two had met in Italy on the set of the 1963 film “Cleopatra,” and married for the first time in 1964.
Once part of the Crown Jewels of Spain, the pearl later passed into the hands of Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon III and the Duke of Abercorn.
When it came up at auction in New York, Burton snapped it up for $37,000, beating out the underbidder, a member of the Spanish Royal family.
Cartier later created a ruby and diamond necklace from which the pearl was suspended, a design that was inspired by the famous Velazquez portraits of Spain’s Queen Margarita and Queen Isabel wearing the pearl as a necklace.
It is estimated to fetch $2 million to $3 million.
Taylor, who was married eight times – twice to Burton – died in March at age 79. The couple appeared together in about a dozen films, including “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” in which Taylor played an alcoholic shrew in an emotionally sadomasochistic marriage.
Burton was enamored of historical pieces, and in 1972 purchased the famous 17th-century Taj Mahal diamond pendant for Taylor’s 40th birthday. The transaction took place at John F. Kennedy International Airport because the couple didn’t have time to run into the city before catching a plane, said Kadakia.
The heart-shaped diamond is associated with one of history’s greatest love stories. It belonged to Emperor Shah Jahangir, who had the diamond inscribed with his wife’s name “Nur Jahan.” He later passed the stone on to his son, Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife Mumtaz, who died in childbirth.
“I would have liked to buy her the Taj Mahal but it would cost too much to transport,” Burton remarked after buying it.
Cartier later recreated the diamond’s original silk cord as a gold rope-like necklace set with rubies and diamonds.
The necklace has a pre-sale estimate of $300,000 to $500,000.
“Jewelry was a way of life for Elizabeth Taylor. They were her friends. She enjoyed wearing them and it gave her a lot of pleasure because they reminded her of the great moments in her life, the great places in her life,” Kadakia said.
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Eighty of the most iconic pieces will be sold on the evening of Dec. 13. The following day, 189 more gems will be sold. About 500 pieces of Taylor’s costume jewelry will be sold online at the same time.
Christie’s also will be selling the star’s haute couture and ready-to-wear fashion, accessories, 20th-century decorative arts and film memorabilia from her Bel Air home on Dec. 14-16. Details have not been released.
Christie’s said the top 80 jewelry pieces will be shipped prior to the auction to Geneva, Paris, Hong Kong, Dubai and Los Angeles; many of them also will be shown in London and Moscow. Serious collectors will be able to try on the jewelry by appointment.
From Time, Elizabeth Taylor’s Famous Jewels to Hit the Auction Block:
Elizabeth Taylor had many loves in her life (famously marrying eight times), but diamonds really were this girl’s best friend. The late actress and AIDS activist amassed a vast array of stunning diamonds and jewelry, which will be auctioned at Christie’s in New York on December 13-14. Taylor was widely believed to have one of the richest jewelry collections in the world, valued at $30 million. In her 2002 memoir “My Love Affair With Jewelry,” she wrote, “I never, never thought of my jewelry as trophies…When I die and they go off to auction I hope whoever buys them gives them a really good home.”
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SUPER post, I love beautiful Jewelry, and Liz had the best collection this side of Queen Elizabeth. We sure can’t afford it, and even if we could, I’d be afraid to wear it these days, but it’s fun to look.
Thanks for putting all this together, Vicki.