Today I'll do a roundup of 5 pieces of the late actress Elizabeth Taylor's legendary jewelry, excluding her gorgeous emerald suite linked here in a previous blog. She loved jewelry as much as I do but unlike me, had the jet-set lifestyle to amass an exquisite collection. Hers was one of the most expensive private collections in the world. To be sure, the late film star loved jewelry for the all right reasons, not for its bloated monetary value but for the sparkle and beauty of the gemstones enhanced by the master craftsmanship of Cartier, Harry Winston, and Bulgari. During her lifetime, sometimes she invited people she was fond of into her bedroom to show and play with her jewelry. How fun ... and what a woman! So let's take a look at the 5 items I've selected to feature:
1. The Taylor Burton Diamond (See first 3 images above👆) - At 69.42 carats, originally named the Cartier diamond by the jeweler who cut a massive white diamond into 2 magnificent diamonds, then sold the largest one to 5th and 6th husband, Richard Burton. Cartier said it was one of the most flawless pear-shaped diamonds in the world. The actress asked Cartier to create a necklace (as it was too big to wear as a ring) with smaller pear-shaped diamonds to showcase the large stone. After divorcing Richard Burton twice, Elizabeth sold the diamond in 1979 for $3 million, half of which she gave to charity. I wish I could say, it's in my jewelry box, but its whereabouts are unknown today.
2) Cartier Ruby and Diamond Necklace, Bracelet, and Earrings - We're looking at unheated red pigeon blood Burmese rubies set with circular and baguette-cut diamond latticework. Given to her by one of the 2 loves of her life, 3rd husband, Mike Todd, and sold by Taylor's 4 children in 2011. The necklace fetched $3,778,500 at auction. The bracelet sold for $842,500, and the earrings for $782,500.
5. The La Peregrina Pearl - The La Peregrina is the most symmetrical natural pear-shaped pearl ever discovered. Its original weight was 55.95 carats but in 2013 the pearl had to be drilled and cleaned to secure it to its setting which reduced its weight to 50.56 carats still making it one of the largest perfectly symmetrical pear-shaped pearls known to exist in the world. The pear-shaped pearl measures approximately 17.35 - 17.90 x 25.50 mm. The gem is steeped in history, legend, and allure. It was found by an African slave in the Gulf of Panama in 1513 (who is said to have earned his freedom for finding it) and sent to Philip II {Habsburg} who elevated the pearl to a Crown Jewel of Spain. The La Peregrina became a favorite of Spanish Queens starting with Philip II's 2nd wife Queen Mary I {Tudor} of England. In 1808 Emperor Napolean {of France} made his older brother, Joseph Bonaparte the King of Spain, but 5 years later after Napolean was defeated and Joseph kicked out of Spain, Older Brother took some of the Spanish Crown Jewels, including the La Peregrina pearl into exile, which he left in his will to his nephew, the future Napolean III of France. Later after Napoleon III lost his throne, he sold the pearl to an English aristocrat, James Hamilton, in whose family it stayed until 1969. Actor Richard Burton bought the pearl at the Sotheby's auction for $37,000. Elizabeth Taylor commissioned Cartier to re-design the necklace, setting the La Peregrina with additional pearls, diamonds, and rubies. As I said above, what a woman! It was sold in 2011 by Christie's in the Taylor estate sale for a record-breaking $11,400,000 to an anonymous buyer. The Elizabeth Taylor jewelry auctioned realised a total of $115, 932,000, much more than anticipated.
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| Elizabeth Taylor, Queen Mary I of England and Queen (Consort) Marie-Louise (d'Orleans) of Spain |
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