The Taylor-Burton Diamond
Taylor with the Famous "La Peregrina"
“My mother says I didn’t open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw was an engagement ring. I was hooked,” the late Elizabeth Taylor famously stated about her fascination with diamonds, gems and pearls. Taylor may be gone, but her ridiculous collection of jewels is still here. But, apparently not for long… Taylor’s jewelry is going to auction at Christie’s, for a once-estimated $150 million. Celebrity jeweler Lorraine Schwartz spoke of the actress, saying, “The studios, in order to make her happy, they’d always give her jewelry. So she grew up collecting it.” And boy, did she ever. Taylor received a 69-carat, pear-shaped diamond necklace as a present from 5th (and 6th) husband, Richard Burton, which was renamed the “Taylor-Burton Diamond,” in honor of its owners. 
It also sold for a record 1 million dollars. She also owned the “La Peregrina Pearl” necklace, which once belonged to Anne Boleyn and Queen Mary I. It was a Valentine’s Day gift from Burton, and their Pekingese dog almost destroyed it when he decided to chew on it during one of the couple’s spats. (One of our editors is a Tudor history buff, and this little anecdote made her literally gag.) Taylor’s favorite piece was apparently the 33-carat, emerald-cut Krupp diamond ring that Burton also bought for her from Sotheby’s. The Krupps were a German industrial family that donated to the Nazi Party, so she found it amusing that it ended up in a Jewish girl’s hands (even though she was a convert, but that’s beside the point). Taylor apparently wore it everyday of her life after receiving it. Among her other baubles were the the Duchess of Windsor diamond brooch and the Grand Duchess of Russia emeralds. In 2002 Taylor published a book about her love of jewelry called, My Love Affair with Jewelry, as well as creating her own jewelry line called House of Taylor. From crowned royals to Hollywood starlet, it’ll be interesting to see where these precious gems go next!
Her Favorite 33-Carat Krupp Ring
Taylor in Grand Duchess of Russia Emeralds
March 29th, 2011 at 11:55 am
The picture with the ring either makes her fingers look really short or they are really short
March 29th, 2011 at 2:09 pm
That’s really funny you say that, cause I was thinking the same thing. I’ve got tiny fingers so fat rings make them look like little sausages. I guess Taylor had the same problem – it’s not attractive at all lol.