Elizabeth Taylor Jewels Expected to Fetch $30 Million at Auction

A portion of Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry collection will be sold at auction in December. Christie's New York will host the two-day sale Dec. 13 and Dec. 14.

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The auction house estimates that the jewelry will bring in more than $30 million.

Select highlights from the 269-piece collection will also go on an eight-city tour, beginning Sept. 15 with a public exhibition at GUM on Moscow's Red Square. Public exhibitions will also be held in London, Los Angeles, Dubai, Geneva, Paris and Hong Kong. The tour will culminate in a ten-day exhibition of the complete collection at Christie's New York.

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Several pieces given to Taylor by actor and two-time husband Richard Burton are available for purchase. Among them: The 33.19 carat "Elizabeth Taylor Diamond," which Burton gave to her in 1968. The piece is expected to fetch between $2.5 million and $3.5 million and Taylor is quoted as saying of it, "My ring gives me the strangest feeling for beauty. With its sparks of red and white and blue and purple, and on and on, it sort of hums with its own beautific life."

Also from Burton, wedding bands; the "Ping Pong Diamond Rings," given to Taylor for winning a game of table tennis circa 1970; the "Richard Burton Ruby and Diamond Ring," a 1968 Christmas gift featuring a stone she called "the most perfect colored stone I'd ever seen"; and the "Night of the Iguana Brooch," which Taylor wore to the film's premiere.

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Another of Taylor's husbands, producer Mike Todd, also lavished her with expensive jewels that are now on the auction block. The "Mike Todd Diamond Tiara" is worth between $60,000 and $80,000 -- Taylor wore it to the 1957 Academy Awards, where Todd's Around the World in 80 Days won best picture. "The Cartier Ruby Suite" was given to Taylor while she was swimming at their villa in St.-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. She put the necklace, bracelet and earrings on, looked at her reflection in the mirror and, in her words, "Shrieked with joy, put my arms around Mike's neck, and pulled him into the pool after me."

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The Elizabeth Taylor collection tour dates and cities below:

Sept. 15 & 16, Moscow
Sept. 24- 26 London
Oct. 13-16, Los Angeles
Oct. 23, Dubai
Nov. 11 & 12, Geneva
Nov. 16 & 17, Paris
Nov. 24-27, Hong Kong
Dec. 3-12, Christie's New York