Is there a public figure more closely associated with high jewellery than Elizabeth Taylor? Across her lifetime, Taylor accumulated a staggering collection of the finest jewels that could be found anywhere in the world, a great deal of which were gifts from her many husbands, including Richard Burton and Conrad Hilton.
And in the majority of her films, Taylor would wear her own jewellery, which were pieces usually from Bulgari or Van Cleef & Arpels, while she also owned a large amount of Cartier items. Even when she was forced to wear costume jewellery made by prop departments, she rocked it as if it was the real thing, most famously in the decadently opulent Cleopatra.
Below, we have looked at some of the most memorable pieces of jewellery Taylor wore throughout her career and how she came to have not one but two diamonds named after her.
Serpentine Gold Arm Cuff – Cleopatra
As you would expect, there is no shortage of elaborate jewellery in Cleopatra but perhaps the most eye-catching piece is this serpentine cuff Taylor has wrapped around her arm. She wears it for much of the film and while it was a piece made by the prop department, it was inspired by Bulgari designs and is when Taylor began her love affair with the brand.
La Peregrina Pearl – Anne of the Thousand Days
Starring alongside Richard Burton, who was playing Henry VIII, Taylor only has a brief appearance in Anne of the Thousand Days and it is most notable for the jewellery she’s wearing in it. The pearl previously belonged to the Spanish royal family and Napoleon III before it was purchased by Burton in the late 1960’s. Hitting the open market in 2011, the piece fetched more than $11 million at auction.
Van Cleef & Arpels Brooch – The Mirror Crack’d
Again one of her own pieces, this Van Cleef & Arpels heart-shaped solitaire diamond pendant is undeniably bold and also a gift from Burton which can be worn as a necklace. Inhabiting the role of a movie star looking for a comeback, Taylor is suitably glamorous as the character.
Heart-Shaped Diamond Pendant – Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
A gift from third busband, Mike Todd, this heart-shaped solitaire diamond pendant was a symbol of love between the pair with the theatre titan tragically dying in a plane crash during the production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The only husband Taylor never divorced, it is thought she wore the piece as a tribute to Todd.
Van Cleef & Arpels Ruby and Diamond Ring – Night Watch
Yet another gift from Burton, this Van Cleef & Arpels oval-cut ruby and diamond surround ring became Taylor’s on Christmas 1968 and she would go on to wear it in 1973’s Night Watch, a poorly received mystery movie from the director of Where Eagles Dare. When a large number of items from Taylor’s estate were sold off in 2011, this ring fetched more than £3 million.
The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond – Boom!
Originally known as the Krupp diamond, when Richard Burton purchased the jewel in 1968 at auction for $307,000 (equivalent to almost $3 million today), it subsequently became known as the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond. Featuring more than 33 carats, it was sold following Taylor’s death for almost $9 million.
The Taylor-Burton Diamond – 1970 Academy Awards
Perhaps the most famous diamond in the world, this did not technically appear in a movie but Taylor did wear it to award Best Picture to Midnight Cowboy at the 1970 Academy Awards. Bought by Burton for $1.1 million (then a world record), the legendary actor was obsessed with obtaining the jewel for his wife, setting off a public frenzy around the diamond that led to a public exhibition and wide press attention. Per the terms of her insurance policy, Taylor could only wear it in public surrounded by armed guards and she would sell it following her second divorce from Burton.
Like this? Marilyn Monroe’s jewellery is still iconic: check out some of the best here
Get your hands on the latest issue of Something About Rocks magazine
