A Brief History Of Elizabeth Taylor And Her Best Friends ? Diamonds

Elizabeth Taylor is considered to be one of the richest women, in terms of rare and exquisite jewellery anyway. Her flirtation with her best friend, began with her fifth husband, Richard Burton, who bought her her first big jewel, which was to trigger her love for the precious gemstones.

 

Richard Burton’s first big purchase for his wife was the 33.19 carat Asscher-cut Krupp Diamond, which is cut similarly to an emerald cut. Originally belonging to the Krupp estate, it was given to Miss Taylor in 1968 and was mounted on a ring – and has ever since been worn. In 1972, Richard Burton acquired the Taj-Mahal – not the building – but a flat heart shaped diamond with inscribed Arabic, surrounded by rubies and diamonds and a yellow-gold necklace. Given for her 40th birthday, the Taj-Mahal is an exquisite gift of rare beauty.

 

One of her best known pieces is the Taylor-Burton diamond, a nearly 70 carat pear shaped diamond taken from the premier mine in South Africa, a well known diamond mine for the highest ranking natural diamonds. Although not the biggest gem in the mine, the Taylor-Burton diamond was considered one of the best ranking diamonds of its time. It was later sold by Taylor to raise money for a hospital in Botswana.

Another one of Richard Burton’s presents was the La Peregrina pearl, a pearl still owned today by Miss Taylor. At over 50 carats and with a perfectly symmetrical pear shape, the La Peregrina pearl is one of the most fabulous pearls in the world. It has a rich and vibrant history, as it has travelled down Spanish royality for generations and was even worn by Queen Mary the 1st. Because of its weight, it has also come out of the necklace setting several times and has been lost on occasion, including in Buckingham palace and the house of the Taylor-Burton’s.

Over the years, Taylor has received a great number of jewels from her spouses, which either remain with her or have been sold to raise money for causes (i.e. aids). She claims that rather than owning these jewels, she is in custody of them, claming that she is there only to ‘enjoy’ and ‘love’ them.

If you are looking for jewellery, have a look at the jewellery website, a jewellery website directory, which lists a variety of well known online jewellery sellers, visit www.jewellerywebsite.co.uk for more information.