Dubai: Some 80 of the 269 exquisite diamonds, pearls, gemstones and historic jewels that adorned Hollywood's crown jewel, Elizabeth Taylor, went on a one-day display on Sunday.
From Dubai the jewellery collection will be taken to Geneva, Paris and Hong Kong in November before concluding the three-month world tour on December 3 in New York.
The jewels will be auctioned on December 13 to 14 in Christie's New York, along with Taylor's treasure trove of personal mementos and beloved gifts. But unlike most auctions, in which the items are bought and sold at sky-high prices, the Elizabeth Taylor collection is described as having "something for everybody".
"It's such a huge collection. It's not just the jewels, but there are a hundred or more dresses, a hundred or more handbags, memorabilia — the director's chairs with Burton's name, Elizabeth Taylor's name — in a vast quantity being sold during that week in New York so there's something for everybody," David Warren, senior director of Christie's jewellery department, told Gulf News.
Widely perceived as one of the greatest private collections ever assembled, the Elizabeth Taylor collection is estimated to have a sale price of more than $30 million (Dh110.18 million).
Huge collection
"It is one of the most important collections, private, single-owner collections, that has ever been auctioned. In fact, in the world it's one of the most important and best-known," Warren told Gulf News.
Among its highlights is the 33.19-carat diamond ring which Christie's and the trustees of her estate have renamed The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond.
The ring, celebrated as the most iconic of Taylor's cherished white diamonds, was a constant in Taylor's life as she wore it virtually every day.
Another notable piece is the prized necklace called La Peregrina - The Legendary Pearl. The necklace adorned European royalty in the 16th century and is regarded as one of the world's most important historic pearls.
‘Professional way'
"The way she looked at jewellery would be the way any professional or any of my colleagues would do that, looking at quality of a stone, looking at the cut, looking at the clarity, the colour, testing the value in a professional way," Warren said.
A portion of the proceeds of the sale and events will go to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
Taylor, acclaimed actress for her lead roles in such films as National Velvet, Cleopatra and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, died at the age of 79 of congestive heart failure in March.
