LONDON – Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry collection fetched a record-setting $115 million including more than $11.8 million for a pearl necklace and more than $8.8 million for a diamond ring given to her by Richard Burton at an auction of gems and other memorabilia amassed by the late actor, according to the Guardian.
What happened to all of Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry?
It was for this reason that she planned, in the event of her death, for Christie's to host an auction of her collection. As such, after her death in 2011, a record-breaking, history-making auction of her jewelry took place in New York, billed as The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor.
How much is Elizabeth Taylor's diamond ring worth today?
The final sale price was an astounding $156.8 million. This included $8.8 million for the engagement ring, which featured the Krupp – now renamed Taylor – diamond.
Since its discovery in India in 1642, the infamous diamond was stolen at least twice in its long history and has changed hands several times, leaving a trail of unfortunate fate and supposedly bad luck for almost every owner.
Elizabeth Taylor was known for her many expensive jewels, most of which were given to her by her then-husband Richard Burton, but the Hope Diamond was never one of them.
Mike Todd was tragically killed in a plane crash on March 22, 1958. Taylor continued to wear the engagement ring following his death, but it was not included in her jewelry collection auction in 2011. Taylor reportedly sold the diamond ring in 1959, possibly to settle Mike Todd's estate.
Taylor-Burton Diamond, Suspended from an Oscar Heyman & Bros. Necklace. Currently Owned by Mouawad. This diamond is a stone whose destiny involved two of Hollywood's biggest stars.
How much was Elizabeth Taylor's wedding ring worth?
Back in 1959, the ring was estimated to be worth of $275,000. Richard Burton purchased the ring for $307,000 in 1968. And, when it was sold following Liz's death in 2011, the winning bid was $8,818,500! Want more?
The rubies she refers to were won on a poolside dare from Burton's predecessor, film producer Michael Todd, Taylor's third husband. The diamond ring resulted from a later bet with Burton over a ping-pong game. Whenever there was wager to be made, Liz went for jewels, not cash – and usually won.
Who will inherit the Queen's jewels? It is likely that these jewels will be passed down to members of the Windsor family and if the Queen follows tradition, she will leave the majority of them to the next monarch, which in this case is King Charles III.
How many carats was Elizabeth Taylor's wedding ring?
An incredible 33.19 carats, it's widely reported that she wore it almost daily. After ten years of a drama-filled marriage that fueled the tabloids, Taylor and Burton divorced.
How many carats was Elizabeth Taylor's engagement ring?
Elizabeth Taylor's most famous engagement ring is now called The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond. In the past, it was known as the Krupp Diamond. It's an impressive 33.9 carat Asscher-cut diamond.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton met on the set of Cleopatra, and despite a rocky first interaction soon fell in love—and began a long and complicated relationship.
Throughout her career, Taylor's personal life was the subject of constant media attention. She was married eight times to seven men, converted to Judaism, endured several serious illnesses, and led a jet set lifestyle, including assembling one of the most expensive private collections of jewellery in the world.
Then, it traded hands several times until it was bought in 1912 by Evalyn Walsh McLean, a Washington, D.C socialite, who owned it until her death in 1947. Harry Winston owned it for the next eleven years until he donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958.
What jewelry did Michael Jackson give Elizabeth Taylor?
Comprising a necklace with a pair of pavé set diamond in white and yellow gold monkeys perched atop a bunch of gold bananas further joined to a group of diamond in white gold frolicking monleys along the entire necklace. There are gold vines, carved emerald leaves with a gold pineapple clasp.
And, well, she must have loved playing that part, because Liz would infamously walk down the aisle eight times (to seven husbands, marrying Richard Burton twice) over the next 40 years. Her first wedding took place in 1950, at the age of 18, and she didn't stop until her last stint as bride in 1991, at the age of 59.
The source said that the ring, which Prince Harry gave to Meghan during his proposal six years ago, is currently being serviced because a setting came loose. Meghan publicly wore the ring for the first time in November 2017 when news of her engagement was made public.
Taylor's addiction to pills, Burton's late-stage alcoholism and his affair with the actor Nathalie Delon, and the couple's frenetic lifestyle eventually tore the legendary lovers apart. They were divorced in 1974, only to remarry in 1975 and divorce again less than a year later.
