A collection of jewels owned by the late Dame Elizabeth Taylor has fetched $116m at an auction in New York, hosted by Christie’s.
The highlight was a necklace featuring a 16th Century pearl called La Peregrina (meaning ‘wanderer’ or ‘pilgrim’) which sold for $11.8m, a record for the gem. It had been estimated to sell for $2-3 million.
La Peregrina is one of the most famous and most beautiful pearls in the world! Its history spans almost 500 years from when it was found by an African slave in the mid-16th Century. Since then it has belonged to many European (mostly Spanish and British) Royals.
Richard Burton, who married Dame Elizabeth Taylor twice, bought the pearl in 1969 at auction for $37,000. He gave it to his wife as a Valentine’s Day gift during their first marriage. The actress commissioned Cartier to design a ruby, diamond and pearl necklace mount for the piece.
La Peregrina is not to be confused with La Pelegrina, another very famous and wondrous pearl!
