Actor Richard Burton had joked that he wanted to buy his beloved wife the Taj Mahal for her 40th birthday "but it cost too much to transport". Instead, he bought Elizabeth Taylor a diamond called the Taj Mahal which sold in New York on Tuesday for a phenomenal $8,818,500 (Rs 47 crore approx), a record for a jewel mined, cut and polished in India.
The rock was one of the highlights in what now ranks as the most expensive single-session jewelry auction ever. The best of Taylor's famous jewelry brought in $116 million at the Christie's sale, setting a world record for a single collection. The earlier record was set in 1987 when the jewels of the Duchess of Windsor (previously Wallis Simpson) sold for just over $50 million. Taylor's historic 50-carat pearl alone sold for nearly $12 million. It had been estimated to sell for $2 million to $3 million. The price surpassed the previous auction record for a pearl, set in 2007 with the sale of The Baroda Pearls for $7 million.
Most objects in the marathon four-hour sale went way beyond the expected price. Even the wig worn by the actress in the 1963 film Cleopatra beat estimates, selling for $16,000.
And one of the crown jewels of her estate -- the Krupp diamond ring Richard Burton bought her -- sold for almost $9 million. Worn by the actress almost daily for 40 years, the 33.19-carat Krupp ring was a gift from the man Taylor married twice, actor Richard Burton. The occasion? Just because it was a Tuesday!
Liz Taylor famously said her three great loves were Mike Todd, Richard Burton and jewelry. The first two showered the screen gem with many of the world's impressive jewels.
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