Tuesday, December 6, 2011

The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond

This auction of the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond supposedly will be what everyone's talking about this week. The famous diamond, which was purchased for the actress by husband Richard Burton, is set as a ring. This was formerly known as the Krupp diamond. It's purchase price was $305,000 in 1968. It is 33.19 carats and potentially internally flawless. The estimate of $2,500,000 to $3,500,000 strikes me as a potentially low estimate range.



THE ELIZABETH TAYLOR DIAMOND
A DIAMOND RING
Set with a cut-cornered rectangular-cut diamond, weighing approximately 33.19 carats, flanked on either side by a tapered baguette-cut diamond, mounted in platinum
With report 1132411262 dated 9 May 2011 from the Gemological Institute of America stating that the diamond is D color, VS1 clarity; accompanied by a working diagram indicating that the clarity may be potentially internally flawless

Accompanied by a supplemental letter from the Gemological Institute of America stating that the diamond has been determined to be a Type IIa diamond. Type IIa diamonds are the most chemically pure type of diamond and often have exceptional optical transparency. Type IIa diamonds were first identified as originating from India (particularly from the Golconda region) but have since been recovered in all major diamond-producing regions of the world. Among famous gem diamonds, the 530.20 carat Cullinan I and the 105.60 carat Koh-i-noor are examples of Type IIa

Accompanied by a hardbound Monograph from the Gemological Institute of America, featuring additional photography, data collection charts and gemological research, attesting to the rarity and prestige of the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond 

Estimate 

    $2,500,000 - $3,500,000

    Price Realized December 13, 2011

      $8,818,500
    • Sales totals are hammer price plus buyer’s premium and do not reflect costs, financing fees or application of buyer’s or seller’s credits.
    Sale Information

Sale 2623 Lot 80


13 December 2011 

New York, Rockefeller Plaza 

Special Notice

Please note that the copyright, and any and all associated intellectual property and other rights for this item are exclusively retained by the Trustees of the Estate of Elizabeth Taylor.
My memory is of Elizabeth's Taylor's other more famous diamond ring, featuring the Taylor-Burton Diamond, which was an astonishing 69 carats.   Burton purchased this one from Cartier, purportedly for $1.1 million. It was featured in the "Here's Lucy" episode of September 14, 1970 in which Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, playing themselves, memorably appeared on Lucille Ball's show. Perhaps predictably, the ring got stuck on Lucy's finger.

After the couple's divorce, this diamond was sold in 1978 for $5,000,000. It is not a part of the present sale.

TV Guide, September 5-11, 1970
http://www.dameelizabethtaylor.com/tv_70s.html

Note:  My previous jewelry post is here.

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