England has Queen Elizabeth and her Crown Jewels; Russia had the Tsarina and her Faberge Eggs; and America has Dame Elizabeth Taylor and her fabulous gemstones.
Her many time husband Richard Burton, certainly was the biggest contributor to her collection. Although the relationship was rocky, they were the loves of each others lives and that love was expressed with gifts of incredibly expensive and unique jewels. Their "fire and ice" relationship was brilliantly reflected in the "fire and ice" of the her diamonds.
One of the first pieces Richard gave Elizabeth was not a diamond but a pearl, the La Peregrina Pearl. This large pear-shaped pearl spent time in the Royal families of Spain, England and France. In 1969, her adoring husband purchased it for Elizabeth. She still has it to this day, although it once needed to be rescued from a puppy who mistook the giant pearl for a chew bone.
Richard then bestowed his beloved with the magnificent thirty-three Carat Krupp diamond. It originally belonged to Vera Krupp, the wife of a German munitions manufacturer. Elizabeth apparently loved the irony of a nice Jewish girl like herself wearing the diamond of a Nazi. She is very fond of this diamond and wears it often. You will see her wearing it in all of her films after 1969.
Another diamond gift to Elizabeth from Richard was the sixty-nine carat, flawless diamond purchased from Cartier's and mounted on a platinum pendant by Harry Winston himself. This became known as the Taylor-Burton diamond. After Richard's death, big-hearted Liz sold it and donated its proceeds to fund the construction of a hospital.
An historically important gem in Elizabeth's collection is the 17th century heart-shaped Taj Mahal Diamond. This is a yellow diamond necklace that was originally a gift from the Mughal emperor Shah Jehan to his wife for whom the Taj Mahal was built.
She also is in possession of a few additional grand pieces: an antique diamond tiara and a 29 carat diamond ring that were gifts from Mike Todd (another husband); the Duchess of Windsor diamond brooch (the only substantial piece she ever bought for herself), and the Grand Duchess of Russia emeralds.
Despite her magnificent jewel wealth, Dame Taylor has a philosophy about her gems. She believes that she is "their custodian, here to enjoy them, to give them the best treatment in the world, to watch after their safety, and to love them." To see other quotes and to learn more about Elizabeth Taylor's jewellery, her book "Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair With Jewelry" is a fabulous read.
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