The protagonist of 'Cleopatra' was married eight times reflected in a 250-piece collection with a fascinating story.
In addition to her memorable performances and her mesmerizing violet eyes, if something characterized Elizabeth Taylor, it was her extensive collection of high jewelry pieces that included items from Boucheron, Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Bvlgari, or Van Cleef & Arpels. And she was never alone in her devotion, since she shared this exclusive hobby with each of the men in her life. Of the nearly 270 pieces to her name, more than half of hers were lavish gifts from her seven husbands. Hence, her two great passions, men and jewelry, are not two parallel stories but intertwined stories that open the door to the 'Queen of Hollywood's' obsession with accumulating the most expensive repertoire in the world.
The year of her death, Christie's held an auction for her jewelry collection, unaware they were up against an unparalleled catalog that ultimately raised $137 million, setting an industry record. In her book My Affair With Jewels, the same artist portrays the anecdotes behind the most valuable pieces in her jewelry box, in turn feeding the myth of her life and her love affairs. She confesses that her reserved nature led her to marry all the men she was associated with, a select group of seven whom she discovered (and almost always was able to afford) her greatest weakness.
The beginning of a passion
At just 18 years old, the extravagant actress starred in the grand wedding of the 1950s, along with the heir to the Hilton hotel chain, Conrad 'Nikki' Hilton, which featured 700 guests and extensive media coverage. Among the dazzling gestures of her boyfriend were a five-carat diamond engagement ring, diamond and pearl earrings and a diamond wedding ring then valued at $10,000. Her violent and apathetic nature caused Taylor to break up with him two years later, but soon she would meet her next love. Apart from a diamond and sapphire ring as an engagement promise, little is known about the gifts Michael Wilding gave Elizabeth in the almost five years they were together, as all of this was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding their union: The British interpreter had left his wife and her alleged lover, the iconic Marlene Dietrich, to marry the young woman.
A true queen with her crown
Her union with ostentatious producer Mike Todd has gone down in history as her best romance, almost comparable to the one she had with high jewelry, as both boasted explosive personalities and prolific careers in the film industry. As for the offerings, he did not fall short either: for his marriage proposal, he spent $92,000 on a ring with a 29-carat emerald that was more like a block of ice, and the rumor was spread that every Saturday this he was giving her a new gift in celebration of the day their paths crossed. For her first pose at the Cannes Film Festival, in 1957, she shocked critics by wearing a showy 19th-century diadem in the manner of European royals. In her memoirs, she confessed that, upon handing it over, Mike exclaimed: "You are my queen and I think you should have a tiara."
The death of her third husband in a plane crash was a hard blow for her to overcome, and this was reflected even in the jewelry she wore from her. Not wanting to take off the engagement ring Todd had given her, her fourth husband, musician Eddie Fisher, gave her a set of 40-carat bracelets set with 50 diamonds and a set of earrings with two Bvlgari-shaped brooches. of flower bouquets: one, made up of yellow and white diamonds and another, made of diamonds and emeralds. Legend has it that, in the middle of a divorce, he claimed it from her (with the proper legal backing), to which she replied that she could live without her ex-husband, but that she could never live without her jewelry.
Taylor-Burton, a marriage of collectors
Luckily for her, she quickly got even by getting involved with Richard Burton, her co-star in the award-winning Cleopatra. She set herself apart from the rest of her by proposing with an emerald Bvlgari brooch that she bought in Italy when they were both still filming the movie. Burton, whom she married twice, was anything but stingy: at a New York auction, she bought a 33.19-carat Krupp diamond for $300,000 at the time to seal her love. The news was so shocking that the gem was officially renamed the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond and sold for nearly $9 million in 2011, after the actress's death. The Oscar winner was responsible for many of the most valuable jewels in the star's drawer, such as the Taj Mahal heart pendant and the La Peregrina de Cartier choker, both pieces with centuries of history.
Historical pendants and an unexpected connection to Spain
The necklace of Indian origin with a heart-shaped jade and diamond pendant, encrusted rubies, and a gold chain dates from 1627 and, according to Taylor herself, was a gift from Burton for her 40th birthday. When the news broke, he told the press: "I would have liked to buy the Taj Mahal from him, but the transportation would have cost too much." Despite the heartwarming story, the necklace is not without its drama: It went up for $8.8 million at auction after a high bid from an anonymous buyer, who later demanded a refund after discovering it might not have belonged to the wife of Emperor Shah Jahan, as the lawyers for Taylor's estate claimed.
The Peregrina de Cartier was a necklace of pearls, diamonds, and rubies topped with a stunning drop or pear-shaped pearl. In fact, it is the heaviest known to the jewelry market, at 55.95 carats. At the famous 2011 auction, it broke a record by selling for $11.8 million. Its long list of owners before the actress consists of several generations of Spanish kings between the period of 1582 and 1808, after which it became the possession of José Bonaparte to end up in the hands of Napoleon.
From 1977 to 1982, Taylor lived her most unhappy marriage with Senator John Warner, who put aside her gestures and love to focus fully on her political career, throwing her into alcoholism and drug use. The good news is that she, in 1998, met construction worker Larry Fortensky at the Betty Ford Rehabilitation Center. Unlike the rest of her husbands, he couldn't afford flashy gems, but anyway, they got married at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch and her girlfriend wore a Valentino Garavani model that was a gift from the same designer. Although she was divorced for the eighth and last time at age 64, in 1996, she and Larry maintained a beautiful friendship until the end, proving that sometimes the simplest relationships can be eternal. The most special of all of hers, however, will always unite her beyond life with her hundreds of diamonds.
