We all knew her as “Liz.” And, for the movie star who married Richard Burton—twice. We watched as she transitioned from little girl actress to mega movie star—glamorous, beautiful and oh those violet eyes! So many of us today are still obsessed with Liz Taylor’s impressive jewelry collection—so what was in this fabulous group of jewels?
We turned to Vogue and Forbes to see what they had to offer on Liz’s jewelry and they revealed plenty!
When Taylor was only 12, she was drawn to jewelry. At 12, she discovered a gold-plated brooch and saved and saved until she was able to purchase it from a Beverly Hills Hotel boutique. The ever-generous Liz gave the brooch to her mother.
It was, however, after her death in March of 2011, when Christies Auction House realized a combined total of $156,756,576 and sold every single piece of Taylor’s collection in an auction that lasted from December 3rd to December 17th in 2011. Some of the pieces included in the auction were:
The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond
This stunning 33-carat white diamond was given to Elizabeth by husband Richard Burton. He offered this ring to her on May 16, 1968 and it was the ring Elizabeth preferred to wear each and every day—definitely a favorite.
La Peregrina Pearl Necklace
Full of the pearl, rubies and diamonds, the La Peregrina necklace has a 203-grain pear-shaped pearl that came from the 16th Century. Also a gift from Richard Burton in 1969, the stunning pearl was once part of the crown jewels of Spain. Burton was lucky enough to win the pearl at an auction in 1969 for a mere $37,000. Of course, Liz immediately hired Cartier to come up with a stunning necklace to enhance the pearl that included rubies and diamonds.
Bvlgari Emerald Collection
Again Burton outdid himself through his many trips to the Italian jewelry house of Bvlgari. It took Burton from 1962 to 1967 to obtain the necklace, pendant, ring, bracelet and earrings—what a guy!
Cartier Ruby Collection
Husband Mike Todd was the source of Liz’s Cartier ruby collection. He purchased the set in 1957 and it includes a necklace, bracelet and earrings full of rubies and of course, her favorite—diamonds.
Taj Mahal Diamond
Gold and rubies surrounded the Taj Mahal Diamond and was a gift to Taylor from Burton on her 40th birthday in 1972. Said to be circa 1627, it was first presented by Emperor Shah Jahan to his wife Mamtaz-i-Mahal.
Charm Bracelet
This beautiful gold bracelet is graced with 20 charms and is engraved to commemorate The Taming of the Shrew. It is also engraved with Liz’s name and contains a sphere-shaped locket that opens to reveal four gems engraved with the names and birthdates of each of her four children.
Ping Pong Diamonds
What do you get when you beat your husband in a game of ping pong? Well a group of three diamond rings of course! The husband? You guessed it; this trio of diamond rings was given to Liz by Richard Burton in 1970.
Mike Todd Diamond Tiara
What is a movie princess without a diamond tiara? That’s exactly what husband Mike Todd thought when he gave Liz this tiara in 1957.
We would like to thank Forbes for the photos of these stunning jewels from the Elizabeth Taylor Collection. But more than anything, the world still misses Liz who was a strong supporter of AIDs and a generous person with open arms to all who needed her. Hollywood will never be the same without her and no one could possibly imitate or top her successes.
Peter Suchy Jewelers are experts at finding, repairing and selling vintage and estate jewelry and we invite you to visit our showroomlocated at 1137 High Ridge Road in Stamford Connecticut.
We also encourage you to browse our eBay store where you’ll find thousands of pieces from many periods and designer.
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