Famous People and Famous Jewelry: Elizabeth Taylor

Text: Sandra Kemppainen, wikipedia

Photos: wikipedia

One of the most famous actresses in the history of the big screen, Elizabeth Taylor is remembered for her iconic beauty, but also for her astonishing collection of jewellery. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood’s Golden Age. As one of the world’s most famous film stars, she was recognised for her acting ability and for her glamorous lifestyle, beauty, and distinctive violet eyes.

Her much-publicized personal life included eight marriages and several life-threatening illnesses. From the mid-1980s, Taylor championed HIV and AIDS programs; she co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research in 1985, and the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in 1993. 

She received the Presidential Citizens Medal, the Legion of Honour, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and a Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute, who named her seventh on their list of the “Greatest American Screen Legends”. Taylor died of congestive heart failure in March 2011 at the age of 79, having suffered many years of ill health. 

Taylor had a passion for jewelry. At her death, Taylor’s jewelry collection was reportedly worth $150 million. 

Over the years she owned a number of well-known pieces, two of the most famous being the 33.19-carat (6.64 g) Krupp Diamond, which she wore daily, and the 69.42-carat (13.88 g) pear-shaped Taylor-Burton Diamond; both were among many gifts from husband Richard Burton. 

The Taylor-Burton Diamond is a diamond made famous when purchased by actor Richard Burton for his wife Dame Elizabeth Taylor in 1969, receiving worldwide publicity for its size and value. 

The original rough diamond was found in 1966 in the Premier Mine in South Africa, weighing 241 carats (48 g). It was cut by Harry Winston to 69.42 carats (13.88 g) in the shape of a pear.

The diamond was originally owned by Harriet Annenberg Ames. It was subsequently purchased at auction by Robert Kenmore, owner of the luxury brand Cartier, for a then record $1,050,000. It is regarded as the world’s first million-dollar diamond—although other stones may have previously changed hands privately for seven figures or more, this was the first one to do so at a public auction. The sale of the diamond carried with it naming rights, and it was named “The Cartier Diamond”. The Cartier company placed the diamond into a diamond necklace.

Richard Burton purchased the diamond for his wife, Elizabeth Taylor. Cartier parted with the diamond for a small premium (Burton is believed to have paid $1.1 million for the diamond) due to the great publicity that the sale generated, Burton and Taylor then being top movie stars and arguably the most famous couple in the world. Taylor wore it publicly on a necklace for the first time at Princess Grace of Monaco’s 40th birthday celebration held in Monaco.

After their divorce, Taylor auctioned the diamond in 1978 for $5,000,000, which was used to build a hospital in Botswana.

The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond is a 33.19-carat (6.638 g) stone, formerly known as the Krupp Diamond, sold at Christie’s on December 16, 2011, for $8,818,500, by the estate of Dame Elizabeth Taylor. Welsh actor Richard Burton gave the stone to the British-American actress in 1968 after acquiring it at auction for $305,000, during the fourth year of their first marriage.

The diamond was originally named for the Krupp family of German industrialists, and it was sold as part of the estate of Vera Krupp (1909-1967), second wife of Alfried Krupp.

Elizabeth Taylor wore the Krupp Diamond as a ring, and called it her favorite piece. The Krupp Diamond and other famous pieces of jewelry in Taylor’s collection became part of Taylor’s image. After Dame Elizabeth’s death, the stone was rechristened “The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond.”

On December 16, 2011, the diamond (renamed The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond by her Estate) was sold on auction by Christie's for $8,818,500 (including buyer's premium), by South Korean conglomerate E-Land, setting a record price per carat ($265,697) for a colorless diamond.

Taylor also owned the 50-carat (10 g) La Peregrina Pearl, purchased by Burton at a Sotheby’s auction for $37,000; as a Valentine’s Day present in 1969, and formerly owned by Mary I of England. La Peregrina is one of the most famous pearls in the world and remains one of the largest perfectly symmetrical pear-shaped pearls in the world.

La Peregrina is one of the most famous pearls in the world. Its history spans almost 500 years, and it has passed from the African slave who found it at Pearl Islands in the Gulf of Panama, to European kings and queens. Most recently, the pearl belonged to Elizabeth Taylor.

The original weight of this pear-shaped pearl was 223.8 grains, (55.95 carats, 11.2 g). At the time of its discovery, it was the largest pearl ever found. In 1913 the pearl had to be drilled and cleaned to secure it firmly to its setting. After drilling and cleaning, the pearl’s weight decreased to 203.84 grains. 

La Peregrina remains one of the largest perfectly symmetrical pear-shaped pearls in the world.

The pearl was found by an African slave on the coast of the isle of Santa Margarita in the Gulf of Panama in the mid-16th century. The pearl was given to Don Pedro de Temez, the administrator of the Spanish colony in Panama. The slave who found it was rewarded with freedom.

The pearl was carried to Spain and given by Temez to the future Philip II of Spain. It was in anticipation of his marriage to Mary I of England that Philip presented her La Peregrina. Mary wore the pearl as a pendant to a brooch, as seen in the famous portrait of her by Hans Eworth, which is exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery in London, as well as other portraits drawn by various artists between 1553 and 1558.

After her death in 1558, the pearl was returned to the Crown of Spain, where it remained as part of the crown jewelry for the next 250 years. It became one of the favorite ornaments for the Spanish queens of that time. Margaret of Austria, wife of Philip III, wore the pearl for the celebration of the peace treaty between Spain and England in 1605. Portraits made by Diego Velázquez are evidence that the pearl was prized by both Elisabeth of France and Mariana of Austria, wives of Philip IV. The equestrian portrait of Elisabeth, Philip IV’s first wife, shows her wearing the pearl. Mariana, her successor, was painted with the pearl as well.

In 1808 the elder brother of Napoleon, Joseph Bonaparte, was installed as king of Spain. His rule continued for five years, and when he was forced to leave the kingdom, after the defeat of the French forces at the Battle of Vitoria, he took some of the crown jewels with him, including La Peregrina. 

At that time, the pearl got its name “La Peregrina - the Wanderer”. In his will, Joseph Bonaparte left the pearl to his nephew, the future Napoleon III of France. During his exile in England, the Emperor sold it to James Hamilton, Marquess and later Duke of Abercorn. 

Abercorn bought the pearl for his wife, Louisa. The pearl was very heavy and it fell out of its necklace’s setting on at least two occasions.

The first time, the pearl got lost in a sofa in Windsor Castle; the second time, during a ball at Buckingham Palace. On both occasions, the pearl was recovered. The Hamilton family owned the pearl until 1969 when they sold it at auction atSotheby’s in London.

Richard Burton purchased the pearl at the Sotheby’s auction for $37,000. He gave it to his wife, Elizabeth Taylor, as a Valentine’s Day gift during their first marriage. On one occasion, the pearl went missing in the Burtons’ suite at Caesar’s Palace, Paradise, Nevada. In her book Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry, Taylor writes:

“At one point I reached down to touch La Peregrina and it wasn’t there! I glanced over at Richard and thank God he wasn’t looking at me, and I went into the bedroom and threw myself on the bed, buried my head into the pillow and screamed. Very slowly and very carefully, I retraced all my steps in the bedroom. I took my slippers off, took my socks off, and got down on my hands and knees, looking everywhere for the pearl. Nothing. I thought, “It’s got to be in the living room in front of Richard. What am I going to do. He’ll kill me! Because he loved the piece.”

After few minutes of mental anguish, Taylor looked at their puppies. One of them was apparently chewing on a bone, but nobody gave bones to the puppies. Taylor continues:

“I just casually opened the puppy's mouth and inside his mouth was the most perfect pearl in the world. It was—thank God—not scratched.”

Burton sought a portrait of Mary I of England wearing the pearl. Upon the purchase of such a painting, the Burtons discovered that the British National Portrait Gallery did not have an original painting of Mary, so they donated the painting to the Gallery.

In December 2011 the pearl sold for a record price of more than $11 million (£7.1m). La Peregrina was sold as part of Elizabeth Taylor's collection, which was being auctioned at Christie's in New York. It was sold mounted on the diamond Cartier necklace.

Elizabeth Taylor was a fashion icon during her years as an active film star. 

In addition to her own purchases, MGM costumers Edith Head and Helen Rose helped Taylor choose clothes that emphasised her face, chest, and waist. Taylor helped popularize Valentino and Halston's designs, and in the 1980s Schering-Plough developed violet contact lenses, citing Taylor's eyes as inspiration.

Sandra Kemppainen.