Elizabeth Taylor: Famous Hollywood Actress, Glamorous Style Icon, Generous Humanitarian, and Lover of Fine Jewelry.
On 13 December 2011, Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry collection went on the auction block at Christie's for a record breaking $115.9 million USD, becoming the most valuable single jewelry sale in history at the time. The highlights of the sale include some riveting examples of diamonds and precious gems, the most notable of which are found below.
The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond
The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond is a 33.19 carat diamond, potentially flawless, of D color, set in a ring, as a gift from her fourth (and fifth) and possibly most notorious husband, Richard Burton. He purchased this diamond for her in 1968, originally known as the Krupp Diamond, from Sotheby's for $305,000 USD. Taylor reportedly wore it every day, even on movie sets, since acquiring it. The diamond was set by Harry Winston and came from the collection of Vera von Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, which at the time of sale, was the highest price ever paid at auction for a diamond. Estimated at $2.5-3.5 million USD, the stone sold for $8,818,500 USD at an astonishing $265,697 USD per carat.
Elizabeth said of the stone:
La Peregrina
La Peregrina, reportedly the largest symmetrical pear-shaped pearl in the world, has enjoyed a 500 year history of prized adornment in the hands of Europe's royalty. Found on the coast of Panama in the mid-16th Century, the pearl was given to Phillip II of Spain who presented it to his future bride, Mary I of England. The pearl stayed in the Spanish crown jewels for the next 250 years, remembered in the portraits of many subsequent Spanish Queens.
The Taj Mahal Diamond
The story of this stone begins in the early 17th Century India when Shah Jahangir acquired the diamond and had it inscribed in Persian with the name of his wife, Nur Jahan, along with numbers indicating a date equivalent to 1627-28 AD, corresponding to his reign. It then passed to his son, Shah Jahan, who gave it as a token of his love to his favorite wife and closest trusted advisor, Mumtaz-I-Mahal. She would bear him fourteen children before dying in childbirth in 1631, after which Shah Jahan locked himself in his room and refused to eat for eight days out of sickened grief. He would later construct the Taj Mahal mausoleum in her memory which took over 20,000 workers and 20 years to complete. It stands today in Agra as one of the most elegant examples of architecture ever constructed.
Richard Burton purchased the diamond in 1972 for Taylor and presented it to her on the occasion of her 40th birthday. He reportedly claimed he wanted to buy her the Taj Mahal monument, "but it would cost too much to transport," and opted for the diamond instead.
With an original auction estimate of $300,000 - 500,000 USD in 2011, the diamond sold for an incredible $8.8 Million USD. The diamond's setting was replaced by yellow gold cord set with rubies, in a design by Cartier mimicking the original setting having been hung by a silk cord.
The diamond is most likely carved from a macle, which results when a diamond effectually turns on itself and grows in the opposite direction, creating a "twinned" flat triangular shape. Common cuts of these diamonds today are referred to as "Triangular Brilliant" or the "Trilliant" cut. The Taj Mahal Diamond is unique in that it is a very large example of a macle and was not carved with a multitude of facets, but instead has been engraved.
On 13 December 2011, Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry collection went on the auction block at Christie's for a record breaking $115.9 million USD, becoming the most valuable single jewelry sale in history at the time. The highlights of the sale include some riveting examples of diamonds and precious gems, the most notable of which are found below.
The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond
The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond is a 33.19 carat diamond, potentially flawless, of D color, set in a ring, as a gift from her fourth (and fifth) and possibly most notorious husband, Richard Burton. He purchased this diamond for her in 1968, originally known as the Krupp Diamond, from Sotheby's for $305,000 USD. Taylor reportedly wore it every day, even on movie sets, since acquiring it. The diamond was set by Harry Winston and came from the collection of Vera von Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, which at the time of sale, was the highest price ever paid at auction for a diamond. Estimated at $2.5-3.5 million USD, the stone sold for $8,818,500 USD at an astonishing $265,697 USD per carat.
Elizabeth said of the stone:
Taylor wearing her namesake ring
La Peregrina
La Peregrina, reportedly the largest symmetrical pear-shaped pearl in the world, has enjoyed a 500 year history of prized adornment in the hands of Europe's royalty. Found on the coast of Panama in the mid-16th Century, the pearl was given to Phillip II of Spain who presented it to his future bride, Mary I of England. The pearl stayed in the Spanish crown jewels for the next 250 years, remembered in the portraits of many subsequent Spanish Queens.
In the early 19th Century, the pearl came into the hands of the Bonaparte family when Napoleon I made his elder brother, Joseph, the King of Spain, and it traveled with him to England upon his exile along with other pieces of the Spanish crown jewels. It is at this point in history that the famous pearl acquired its name, "La Peregrina," meaning "The Wanderer." It was then sold to James Hamilton, the 1st Duke of Abercorn, and stayed within his family until 1969 when it went up for auction at Sotheby's.
A portrait of Mary I of England showing her wearing La Peregrina as a pendant beneath a large stone, by Hans Eworth, 1554
A portrait of Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain, wearing La Peregrina as a pendant, by Juan Pantoja de la Cruz, 1606
Portrait of Elisabeth of Bourbon, Queen of Spain, wearing La Peregrina, by Peter Paul Ruebens, Circa 1625
At the Sotheby's auction in 1969 Richard Burton purchased the pearl for $37,000 USD for his wife, Elizabeth Taylor, as a Valentine's Day present. Taylor would then have the famous jeweler, Cartier, redesign the necklace resulting in an intricate setting of rubies, pearls, and diamonds. In 2011 when the pearl went to auction again as the new Cartier designed necklace, it would reach an astonishing $11,842,500 USD, setting a record for highest price reached for a single pearl jewel.
It has been said that Mr. Burton was a history buff and therefore gravitated to pieces of historical significance. The Taylor-Burtons purchased a painting of Queen Mary I wearing the pearl, but upon hearing that the British National Portrait Gallery did not have an original painting of Mary, they donated the portrait to the museum.
It has been said that Mr. Burton was a history buff and therefore gravitated to pieces of historical significance. The Taylor-Burtons purchased a painting of Queen Mary I wearing the pearl, but upon hearing that the British National Portrait Gallery did not have an original painting of Mary, they donated the portrait to the museum.
Elizabeth Taylor wearing La Peregrina in a necklace fashioned by Cartier
The story of this stone begins in the early 17th Century India when Shah Jahangir acquired the diamond and had it inscribed in Persian with the name of his wife, Nur Jahan, along with numbers indicating a date equivalent to 1627-28 AD, corresponding to his reign. It then passed to his son, Shah Jahan, who gave it as a token of his love to his favorite wife and closest trusted advisor, Mumtaz-I-Mahal. She would bear him fourteen children before dying in childbirth in 1631, after which Shah Jahan locked himself in his room and refused to eat for eight days out of sickened grief. He would later construct the Taj Mahal mausoleum in her memory which took over 20,000 workers and 20 years to complete. It stands today in Agra as one of the most elegant examples of architecture ever constructed.
Richard Burton purchased the diamond in 1972 for Taylor and presented it to her on the occasion of her 40th birthday. He reportedly claimed he wanted to buy her the Taj Mahal monument, "but it would cost too much to transport," and opted for the diamond instead.
With an original auction estimate of $300,000 - 500,000 USD in 2011, the diamond sold for an incredible $8.8 Million USD. The diamond's setting was replaced by yellow gold cord set with rubies, in a design by Cartier mimicking the original setting having been hung by a silk cord.
The diamond is most likely carved from a macle, which results when a diamond effectually turns on itself and grows in the opposite direction, creating a "twinned" flat triangular shape. Common cuts of these diamonds today are referred to as "Triangular Brilliant" or the "Trilliant" cut. The Taj Mahal Diamond is unique in that it is a very large example of a macle and was not carved with a multitude of facets, but instead has been engraved.
The Taj Mahal Diamond
Elizabeth Taylor wearing the Taj Mahal Diamond
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