How Much Elizabeth Taylor’s Jewelry Collection Was Worth When She Died And Where They Are Now

How Much Elizabeth Taylor’s Jewelry Collection Was Worth When She Died And Where They Are Now

uaetodaynews.com — How Much Elizabeth Taylor’s Jewelry Collection Was Worth When She Died and Where They Are Now

NEED TO KNOW

  • Elizabeth Taylor’s jewels sold for an incredible $137 million at auction after her death
  • She owned some of the largest single diamonds in the world, including a 33 ct diamond ring and a 69 ct pear shaped diamond gifted to her by Richard Burton
  • Some of the jewels were bought back by Cartier and Bulgari, though many are in the hands of private collectors

Elizabeth Taylor once said that her obsession with jewelry began as a baby, when she opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was an engagement ring: “I was hooked.” Her love for diamonds only grew, and led her then husband Richard Burton to quip, ‘The only word Elizabeth knows in Italian is “Bulgari”

When she died in 2011, her collection—including a 19th-century diamond tiara from husband Mike Todd and the 33.19-carat Krupp diamond from Burton—sold for more than $137 million. She had previously sold the 69.42-carat Taylor-Burton diamond, a gift for her 40th birthday, for a reported $5 million, and used some of the proceeds to build a hospital in Botswana. Burton had initially bought it for $1.1 million.

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Her third husband Mike Todd also lavished Taylor with jewelry, including a 19th-century diamond tiara that “likely belonged to aristocracy,” Christie’s head of jewelry Rahul Kadakia told PEOPLE in 2014. Taylor debuted the tiara at the 1957 Oscars, when Todd’s Around the World in 80 Days won Best Picture

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However, Taylor wasn’t just all about diamonds — she loved other baubles as well, and she also made sure her pieces were well-worn. “Her jewelry wasn’t locked away,” photographer Catherine Opie told PEOPLE in 2015. “When Elizabeth had insomnia, she’d often go into the jewelry closet to make different arrangements to look at.”

In 1969, Burton presented her with La Peregrina, one of the largest pear-shaped pearls in existence. Within hours it was lost in their Las Vegas hotel suite. “We all got down on our hands and knees looking for it on the white carpet,” her friend Vicky Tiel tells PEOPLE. “The dog was chewing on it. Somebody polished it up, but you could still see the teeth marks.”

So where did her precious jewels mostly end up? Some were bought back by houses like Cartier and Bulgari at the 2011 Christie’s estate auction, and some ended up in private collections. The Krupp diamond, later named the Elizabeth Taylor diamond, was purchased by a representative of the Korean E-Land Group for $8.8 million and was planned to be placed on display at its E-World theme park in the town of Daegu.

The pear-shaped Taylor-Burton diamond, seen below, was 69.4 cts, bought by Richard Burton in 1969. It’s now owned by Robert Mouawad. It has not been publicly seen since 1979.

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty


The Krupp diamond below, later renamed the Elizabeth Taylor diamond, was 33 cts and a gift from Richard Burton in 1968. It’s owned by the South Korean conglomerate E-Land group.

The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, of 33.19 cts, was a gift from Richard Burton, 1968.

Axel Koester/Corbis via Getty


The Cartier ruby-and- diamond necklace below was a gift from Mike Todd in 1957. Said Taylor: “It was like the sun, lit up and made of red fire.” The Cartier Collection bought it back at the Christie’s auction in 2011, for $3.8 million.

Elizabeth Taylor’s ruby and diamond Cartier necklace.

Axel Koester/Corbis via Getty


In 2013, Julianne Moore donned the emerald Bulgari necklace Burton gave to Taylor. Bulgari bought it back at the 2011 auction, and has loaned it on occasion to other celebrities.

La Peregrina Pearl, gifted to Tayor by Richard Burton, was discovered in 1516, and was once part of the Spanish Crown Jewels and worn by royals like Mary I of England. It is 56 cts and sold in 2011 for $11.8 million. It’s now owned by a private buyer and held in a private collection.

“La Peregrina”, a Cartier pearl, diamond and ruby necklace owned by US actress Elizabeth Taylor on display during a preview of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor December 1, 2011 at Christie’s in New York.

STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty


Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification.
We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.


Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification.
We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.


Author: uaetodaynews
Published on: 2025-10-26 23:29:00
Source: uaetodaynews.com

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