The Legendary Jewels

The Legendary Jewels – that was the title of Christie’s Evening sale of the finest offerings from Elizabeth Taylor’s vast collection of jewelry.  With pre-sale expectations in the $16-23 million range, the sale soared to a record-breaking final total of $115,932,000 with 100% of lots sold.

Um…wow.

The top lot of the night was La Peregrina (see image).  This Cartier necklace was designed by Elizabeth Taylor with Al Durante of Cartier  La Peregrina is the name given to the magnificent natural salt water pearl that dates to the late 16th century and was purchased by Taylor at auction in 1969.  The necklace is composed of the pearl; a diamond bail from the early 19th century; and a natural pearl, diamond, ruby and cultured pearl necklace by Cartier 1972.  But the best part is the provenance of La Peregrina Pearl:  the Spanish kings (1582-1808); Joseph Bonaparte, of France (1808-circa 1844); Prince Louis Napoleon, of France (circa 1844-circa 1848); Duke and Duchess of Abercorn (circa 1848-1914); and Elizabeth Taylor (1969-2011).

Estimated to sell in the $2-3 million range, the winning telephone bidder paid over $11.8 million with buyer’s premium.  It’s a world auction record for any pearl jewel.

Artinfo.com gives a great recap of the legendary auction here.

Lots of fabulous and famous jewels sold for big dollars, but I think the most interesting tidbit is the disclaimer added to every lot in the online catalogue:

By registering to bid, you hereby agree that the copyright, and any and all associated intellectual property and other rights for this item are exclusively retained by The Elizabeth Taylor Trust and/or Interplanet Productions, Ltd. Buyers of the Property will not receive the copyright or any related reproduction rights in the Property and all intellectual property rights are explicitly reserved by Seller and are freely exploitable by Seller in perpetuity. Furthermore, the use of Elizabeth Taylor’s name, photograph or likeness may not be used relating to this item without the express written permission of The Elizabeth Taylor Trust and/or Interplanet Productions Ltd.

You may be buying the jewelry, but you do not own the copyright for the pieces.  Thus, any and all knock-offs created from these pieces are in violation of copyrights and reproduction rights.  The Elizabeth Taylor Trust is fiercely protective of the star’s name and image, and I imagine that violators will be prosecuted.  I understand and agree with this policy almost completely.  Almost….because it seems kinda weird that I bought a diamond for ALOT of money, but need to ask permission if I’m wearing it and mention it in my family portrait Christmas card – otherwise, theoretically, I could be sued by the Trust.  I assume that this kind of private use would be granted permission from the Trust, so it’s a moot point, but it’s something to think about and consider….