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.
What happened to Elizabeth Taylor's engagement ring from Mike Todd?
On March 22, 1958, Mike Todd tragically died in a plane crash. Taylor continued to wear the engagement ring after his death, but the ring didn't appear in the auction of her jewelry collection in 2011. Apparently, Taylor sold the diamond ring around 1959, possibly to settle Mike Todd's estate.
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.
He married his fourth wife Sally Hay in 1983, and they were married until Burton's death in 1984. According to the Associated Press, Burton “left the bulk of his 2.7 million estate to his fourth wife and nothing to Elizabeth Taylor.
Burton details his passion for Taylor, writing in November 1968 of how the actress, then one of the biggest stars in the world, had shaped him as a man. "I have been inordinately lucky all my life but the greatest luck of all has been Elizabeth," he wrote.
Elizabeth Taylor's Jewellery. Most Famous Pieces and Interesting Facts
Did Elizabeth Taylor have a child with Richard Burton?
Richard Burton
Though their fiery first marriage fizzled, Taylor and Burton (who had adopted a daughter, Maria, born in 1961) gave wedded bliss another shot — briefly — and remarried on Oct. 10, 1975. Some joked that Burton simply wanted to be near all the jewelry he had given his ex.
All other terms of Taylor's revocable living trust have remained private, as intended. It's rumored that the trust passed the majority of her assets to her children, grandchildren, and to various charities. Taylor's AIDS work saw her address the General Assembly at the United Nations.
Who got the money from Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry?
The provenance, coupled with the quality of the jewelry in this sale, sent prices through the stratosphere. “The sale was priced to the inherent value of the pieces,” said Sally Morrison, spokesperson for the Elizabeth Taylor Trust, which will receive the proceeds from the auction.
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.
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.
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.
Perhaps the most famous piece of jewelry Kate inherited from Princess Diana is this sapphire engagement ring. The ring was created by British jeweler Garrard and chosen for then-Prince Charles's proposal to Diana in 1981.
Lisa Levinson from the Natural Diamond Council believes the late monarch was buried with only a few pieces of jewelry. "Her Majesty is an incredibly humble woman at heart who is unlikely to be dressed in anything but her simple Welsh gold wedding band to rest and a pair of pearl earrings," she told Metro.
Following her death, the queen's daughter-in-law Queen Camilla and Prince William's wife Kate Middleton inherited some of the jewelry in her collection, but not her iconic pearl necklace.
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.
Taylor's final resting place at Forest Lawn -- the same place of burial for her longtime friend Michael Jackson -- is in the memorial park's Great Mausoleum "sheltered beneath a soaring marble Michelangelo angel," Morrison said.
