When Diamonds and Bling Are A Girl’s Best Friend!

by Hadrian Miguel, Life & Style Director

The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor at MOCA at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood

Elizabeth Taylor had a legendary and amazing collection of diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, amethysts, and rubies.

Her jewelry is one of the greatest private collections in the world, with gorgeous pieces by such leading jewelers as Boucheron, Bulgari, Cartier, Chopard, David Webb, Gerard, JAR, Ruser, Schlumberger, Tiffany, and Van Cleef & Arpels.

After an international, limited multi-city tour, Elizabeth Taylor’s bling and other treasures (aka The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor) will culminate in an auction in the next few days at Christie’s New York.

The jewelry up for auction includes La Peregrina, a necklace of rubies, diamonds and a pearl dating to the 16th century, and the so-called Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, which is a 33.19 carat rectangular cut diamond ring. Both were presents from her husband Richard Burton. A Cartier ruby and diamond bracelet, earrings and necklace from Taylor’s third husband, Mike Todd, will also be for sale, as will a pear-shaped 16.98 carat diamond ring that was a gift from Michael Jackson.

Diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, and rubies are some of her favorite bling!

Chanel Ball Gown & Cape

Among the collection, one of my favorites from the exhibition is a one-of-a-kind, couture ball gown. The Chanel silver and ivory gown with gossamer cape (which also includes shoes and matching clutch purse for the auction, but not included with the MOCA exhibit) was designed by acclaimed, modernist French women’s designer Coco Chanel. Elizabeth Taylor wore this ensemble to the Royal Film screening of her and Richard Burton’s The Taming of the Shrew in London in 1967.

Also up for auction are 400 pieces of haute couture that include outfits, handbags, vintage costume jewelry, shoes and belts that Taylor owned and were created by Valentino, Givenchy, Halston, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace, Hermès, Fendi, Stavropoulous, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Paco Rabanne, Gaultier, Ferre, Tiziani, Dolce & Gabbana, and Prada also will be sold.

An autographed Michael Jackson photo to Taylor makes it to the auction block

68 of Ms. Taylor’s most iconic fashions will be presented in a black-tie Evening Sale of her haute couture collection on December 14th, followed by 326 additional items on December 15 of her other fashions and accessories. Fine arts, paintings by Andy Warhol & David Hockney, furniture and film memorabilia (including her scripts, movie posters, and her two Best Acting Oscars) will also be on auction, and the sale of her vast, outstanding jewelry collection will precede the fashion and accessories auction, starting today December 13th.

In her book, My Love Affair with Jewelry, Elizabeth wrote “I’m fortunate to have some very important pieces of jewelry. I don’t believe I own any of the pieces. I believe that I am their custodian, here to enjoy them, to give them the best treatment in the world, to watch after their safety, and to love them.” She also wrote, “As I look at some of my jewels I realize what a very lucky girl I am.”

Diamonds and Bling are truly a girl’s best friend, and Elizabeth Taylor had some of the world’s best!

Me with Elizabeth Taylor's Oscar for the brilliant verbal sparfest that is Who is Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

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