SALE: Elizabeth Taylor Jewelry at Christie's
DATE: December 13 at 7:00 p.m.
LOCATION: New York, New York
ABOUT: If you haven't yet picked out which of Elizabeth Taylor's iconic jewelry pieces you would like to see on your own dresser, time is running out. ARTINFO's first look was back in September. But worry not — it's not yet too late to begin preparing for Thursday's auction. There will be 80 pieces on offer at the evening sale — many of which were gifts to Taylor from the actor Richard Burton, who she met on the set of "Cleopatra" and married two different times (from 1964-1974, and then again from 1975-1976). Another group of 189 pieces with lower price tags will be heading to the auction block on Friday morning. In all, the group could fetch upwards of $30 million.
The top lot is expected to be the "Elizabeth Taylor Diamond," a gargantuan 33.19 carat cut-cornered rectangular-cut diamond mounted between two small baguette-shaped diamonds and set in a platinum ring. The estimate is $2.5-3.5 million. The high price is partially attributable to the provenance, but the gem is also of exceptional quality. The Gemological Institute of America has declared it a Type IIa diamond, the most chemically pure type possible. According to the Christie's catalogue, the diamond is "accompanied by a working diagram indicating that the clarity may be potentially internally flawless."
If perfect diamonds aren't your style, there are still plenty of other luxurious options on offer. Also among the top estimated prices are the individual pieces in the BVLGARI Emerald Suite, which, if sold together, might have unseated the diamond at the top spot. The necklace (est. $1-1.5 million), ring (est. $600,000-800,000), pendant ($500,000-700,000), bracelet ($300,000-500,000), and earrings ($150,000-200,000) were gifts to Taylor from her husband Richard Burton, given to her between 1962 and 1967.
Among the other standout accoutrements is "La Peregrina," a storied pearl that was discovered in the 16th century, was for centuries part of the Spanish Crown Jewels, passed to the Bonapartes in France, and eventually was purchased for Taylor by Burton. The pearl is set in a diamond, pearl, and ruby necklace made by Cartier and is expected to sell for $2-3 million.
Those who remember Taylor best from her famous turn as an Egyptian queen in "Cleopatra" may be interested in the Art Deco Egyptian revival diamond and multi-gem bracelet, which contains six pave-set diamond plaques topped with falcons, oxen, and sphinxes made of sapphire, ruby, and emerald. The bracelet's pre-sale estimate is $500,000-700,000.
OTHER INTERNATIONAL SALES:
Sale: Jewels at Sotheby's
Location: New York, New York
Date: December 7, 10 a.m.
Sale: Jewelry at Bonhams
Location: London, U.K.
Date: December 8, 2 p.m.
Sale: Important Modern Art and Design at LA Modern Auctions
Location: Los Angeles, California
Date: December 11, 3 p.m.
Sale: Design Masters at Phillips de Pury
Location: New York, New York
Date: December 13, 4 p.m.
Sale: Whisky at Bonhams Edinburgh
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Date: December 14, 11 a.m.