sparkle and shine with taylor’s jewels

Glamour be named, Elizabeth Taylor. The screen siren was known for her sparkle and shine, coming as much from her luxe life as her jewels.

You can’t cry on a diamond’s shoulder, and diamonds won’t keep you warm at night, but they’re sure fun when the sun shines.

With millions of dollars worth of jewelry left behind after Taylor’s passing earlier this year, Christie’s was the obvious choice to handle the auctioning of the iconic pieces. And what a success it was; the auction featured 80 pieces, of which all but 2 sold for over the Christies estimates. The auction broke the record for a private jewelry collection, bringing in close to $116 million, a portion of which will be donated to The Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation. Breaking the bank was the “LaPeregrina” pearl necklace which sold for a whopping $11.8 million (fun fact: it was estimated to sell at $2 million). The necklace’s pearl dates back to the 16th century, owned by a string of Spanish kings. It was purchased at auction by Taylor’s husband Richard Burton in 1969 along with a painting depicting Mary 1 of England wearing the pearl. The pearl was incorporated into the equally stunning necklace by Cartier and now has one more layer of history on it’s back.

Queen Mary I wearing La Peregrina

And now that I’ve wiped the drool off of my laptop after looking through the auction catalog, I’d like to share some of my favourites.

Of course, trying to pick favourites from the Elizabeth Taylor jewelry collection is like trying to pick a favourite pug puppy, or favourite unicorn. Really, it comes down to that twinkle in the eye, or in this case, the twinkle in the diamonds. So please, look through the catalog yourself and find what twinkles at you. Then sit and wonder how to recreate such fabulousness in your own life.

The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor: The Legendary Jewels.