With seven husbands, 50 films and a £360million fortune to her name, Elizabeth Taylor never did anything by halves. So it seems appropriate that the star’s extensive jewellery collection has sold for more than £80million – making it the most expensive private hoard in history. Though bidders were still battling to snap up the sought-after items last night, the auction had already smashed the £45.8million record set in 1987 at a sale of the Duchess of Windsor’s gems in Geneva.
Over two evenings of frantic bidding at Christie’s in New York, some items sold for as much as 150 times their reserve price. The most expensive was a 50-carat pearl, diamond and ruby necklace called La Peregrina.
Listed for between £1.2million and £1.9million, it went for £7.5million on Tuesday night, breaking two world records – the highest sum for an historic pearl and for a pearl jewel. Other items shot up by more than £1million in 30 seconds as fierce bidding wars erupted over the most coveted lots. It was a fitting tribute to the last of the Hollywood greats, who died in March aged 79.
Auctioneer François Curiel said: ‘The extraordinary results of the jewellery sale are a tribute to Elizabeth Taylor’s expert eye for fine gemstones and jewels, as well as her stature as a legendary star and inspiring philanthropist.’Other sales of Dame Elizabeth’s art, clothing and memorabilia will be held today and Friday. It was expected that all of the auctions together would draw in £31million, but that is now likely to be beaten many times over.