Elizabeth Taylor’s Jewelry to Be Auctioned by Christie’s
Ladies, prepare your paddles—Elizabeth Taylor’s famed jewelry collection is being put on the auction block.
People StyleWatch reports that the late screen icon’s $150 million treasure trove of diamonds, pearls, and colored gems is expected to be auctioned by Christie’s sometime in the future. (Christie’s has declined to comment.) It was reported last week that proceeds from any jewelry sales would go to Taylor's AIDS foundation and AmFAR.
“She had a collection like I’ve never seen before, and she knew exactly what every one was—what the diamonds were, the quality,” Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills President/CEO Peter Sedghi, who worked with the Hollywood legend on her House of Taylor jewelry line, told StyleWatch. “But it was more for her. It was … the history behind it. A lot of them had sentimental value.”
Indeed, Taylor—who passed away March 23 from congestive heart failure—was gifted beautiful baubles by movie studios as well as the many men in her life. Among the standouts from some of her seven husbands: a 29-carat diamond ring from Mike Todd, and a 33-carat Krupp diamond ring and the 70-carat Taylor-Burton diamond necklace, both from Richard Burton.
Jeweler Lorraine Schwartz, a friend of Taylor, says the two-time Oscar winner cherished each and every bit of her bling. “She [had] collections and collections, and rooms,” Schwartz told StyleWatch. “She [knew] where every single piece was. [It was] amazing.”
Most often, at least one piece was on Taylor, says Schwartz, recalling a chat she had with the star after she took a fall in 2003: “She was like, ‘I don’t feel good, my hair is dirty but I’m wearing my bracelet.’”
Hey, it beats wearing a hat to hide a bad hair day. Let the bidding begin …
