It’s official, Hollywood’s own crown jewels are going up for auction. Famed auction house Christie’s of New York announced earlier this week that the long awaited sale of the late Dame Elizabeth Taylor’s jewels will take place over two days in December. There will be a special Evening Sale containing 80 iconic pieces on the 13th followed by the final 189 pieces in two Day Sale sessions on the 14th. In total 269 pieces will be sold with an estimated value of around $30 million dollars. Highlights of the collection will also be going on a world tour starting today, September 15th, in Moscow. Locations for the tour will also include London, Los Angeles, Dubai, Geneva, Paris, Hong Kong, and finally New York where they will displayed until the auction.
It has been said that Elizabeth Taylor “possessed an expert’s eye for craftsmanship, rarity, quality, and history” with regards to her jewelry. From the “It’s Tuesday, I love you” presents, to rings won in a match of ping pong, and her own self-proclaimed passion for all things that sparkled, she was able to amass the “greatest private collection of jewelry ever assembled in one place”. And when they labeled the collection The Crown Jewels of Hollywood, they weren’t kidding. Aside from the sheer volume, rarity, and value of the pieces, which is staggering, many items had been part of actual crown jewels at one time or another.
Such is the case with the first piece of our Crown Jewels of Hollywood series, The Prince of Wales Brooch.
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| Photo: Christie's Images LTD |
While not technically a part of the official crown jewels, this diamond brooch, which depicts the three feathers and coronet of the Prince of Wales’ royal insignia, was made for a king. It was originally created as a gift from the former King Edward VIII to his wife, Wallis the Duchess of Windsor. Elizabeth, as a friend to the royal couple, had seen and admired the brooch on a number of occasions. However she turned down Wallis’ offer to let her make a copy of it. When the Duchess’ estate was put up for auction following her death, Elizabeth bid for, and won the piece as a remembrance of her friend, reportedly outbidding members of the royal family. She said of the pin, “It’s a royal piece that I save for very special occasions, because it means so much to me”.
The piece is expected to achieve between $400,000 and $600,000 when it comes to auction in December.
Want to see more of The Crown Jewels of Hollywood? Stay tuned for our next installment, La Peregrina, The Legendary Pearl!
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