Celebrity Property!
Elizabeth Taylor jewelry auction confirmed by Christies —
[Apr. 11]
After the death of Elizabeth Taylor (a.k.a. Liz Taylor) last month, the actress icon’s extensive jewelry collection, estimated at a value of $150 million, will be going up for auction. Christie’s auction house has not released a date for the auction, but Taylor had worked with the auction house in the past and word of the pending sale of the screen legend’s personal belongings (as celebrity property) is believed to be reliable. Following up on the Hot Hollywood gossip lead, NY Mag confirmed, “Christie’s confirmed today that they’ve struck a deal with Elizabeth Taylor’s family to sell the late actress’s famous jewelry collection, as previously rumored, as well as some of her artworks, clothing, and other belongings.”
Says Style List:
Taylor speculated before her death that one day her private collection — said to rival that of some royal households — would be “scattered around the four corners of the world.”
The famed actress and stylist and green celebrity, even after beginning her battle with heart disease, was known to continue to benefit charity. She allowed some of the most famed pieces from her jewelry collection to be displayed for charity by Christie’s, though none up for auction then.
In 2002 Taylor allowed Christie’s to host a public exhibition of her jewels, including the famed 33-carat Krupp diamond, the La Preregina Pearl by Cartier and the heart-shaped Taj Mahal diamond. That exhibition benefited her signature charity, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
Elizabeth Taylor, along with famed green celebrity Michael Jackson, also deceased, went to great lengths to spread the word about HIV and AIDS. Taylor also supported the New Orleans AIDS Task Force. In fact, green celebrity Elizabeth Taylor was a pioneer in advocacy for AIDS research in the 1980s, her work as valuable as her jewelry collection, while many were claiming the disease did not exist. She founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) in 1985.
Style List adds:
Taylor’s friend, jeweler Lorraine Schwartz, described the actress’s attachment and appreciation to her storied collection: “She [had] collection and collections, and rooms. She knew where every single piece was. [It was] amazing,” she told People. The jeweler recalled checking on Taylor after a fall. The actress conveyed she was shaken up but fine because, “I’m wearing my bracelet.”
It is still unknown whether any of the jewelry collection Elizabeth Taylor amassed will be passed down to family, or if the vast majority will go to auction to benefit amfAR. What is known is Elizabeth Taylor will be sorely missed, and a jewelry collection estimated at $150 million is only a small piece of the legacy of this bright green celebrity.