It’s official. Christie’s auction house will be auctioning off Elizabeth Taylor‘s renowned jewelry collection, as well as some of her art, clothing and other personal memorabilia. The international auction house announced April 9 that it has reached an agreement with Taylor’s family and is planning a series of upcoming auctions — dates will be announced later this spring.
Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills President/CEO Peter Sedghi told People Magazine, “She had a collection like I’ve never seen before, and she knew exactly what every one was — what the diamonds were, the quality. But it was more for her; it was … the history behind it. A lot of them had sentimental value.”
Taylor’s jewelry collection, which includes pieces from Bulgari, Cartier, Tiffany and Boucheron, is estimated to be worth $150 million. Most of the iconic movie star’s gems were gifts from the men who adored her.
Richard Burton, whom she met on the set of 1963’s
Cleopatra, especially loved to surprise her with emerald, ruby and diamond baubles. “Richard gave me some spectacular gifts on birthdays and Christmas, but in truth he’d use any excuse to give me a piece of jewelry,” Taylor wrote in her 2002 book
My Love Affair With Jewelry.
Taylor died last month at age 79. Proceeds from the sale will likely benefit her AIDS foundation and amfAR, the charity she helped found near the beginning of the epidemic in 1985.
