They said/We said: Elizabeth Taylor’s legendary jewels to go up for auction

Elizabeth Taylor wears La Peregrina, the 35mm pearl once belonging to Queen Isabella of Spain. Photography by Norman Parkinson/Flickr

Who hasn’t dreamt of living the luxuriously fashionable life of Hollywood grand dame Elizabeth Taylor? From Cleopatra to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Taylor dominated the big screen and captured the hearts of her stylish followers. Today, Christie’s officially announced they’ll be launching a landmark series of public exhibitions to display Taylor’s jewelry, fashion, accessories, decorative arts, and memorabilia that will eventually end with their sale.

Beginning in September, the collection will make stops in Moscow, London, Los Angeles, Dubai, Geneva, Paris, and Hong Kong. It’s then set to head to New York City for December 3, where a 10-day exhibition at Rockefeller Center will be followed by four consecutive days of auctions. In keeping with Taylor’s life-long devotion to humanitarian causes, a portion of all proceeds will be donated to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, which she established in 1991.

Now, who isn’t looking forward to the glamorous-to-end-all-things-glamorous exhibit?

WHAT THEY SAID…

Lorraine Schwartz: The studios, in order to make her happy, they’d always give her jewelry. So she grew up collecting it. People always gave her gifts… it was something that she learned to love. And she took great care of them, too. She [had] collections and collections, and rooms. She [knew] where every single piece was. [It was] amazing. [The Cut]

CBS: She was fabulous and so were her jewels. [CBS]

Marc Porter, chairman and president of Christie’s Americas: This collection of her many cherished possessions will bring us closer to the essence of Elizabeth Taylor’s unique spirit and promises to inspire admiration, delight, and, at times, sheer wonder, in all who come to see it. [CNN]

WHAT WE SAID…

Bernadette Morra, editor-in-chief: Elizabeth Taylor is the epitome of a classic Hollywood movie star. She personified glamour, and nothing speaks to that better than her jewels. Many of the pieces she owned were extremely valuable in their own right. But the fact that Elizabeth Taylor treasured and wore them, and that some were very personal gifts during her often-scandalous romances, adds even more value.  This truly will be one of the sales of the century—on par with or even surpassing the sale of the Duchess of Windsor’s jewels in 1987.

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