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La Peregrina, custom designed by Cartier with Miss Taylor, made $11,842,500.

The sale of 80 pieces from the Elizabeth Taylor Collection became the most valuable jewellery auction in history at Christie’s in New York on December 13. It made $115,932,000.

The top lot was La Peregrina, a legendary pearl found in the Gulf of Panama in the 1500’s. It is 203 grains in size, equivalent to 50 carats. It has been owned by Spanish and French royals and British aristocrats. The pearl was bought for Taylor by Richard Burton in 1969.  It made $11,842,500 now, he paid $37,000 dollars then. No less than seven new auction records were achieved: price per carat for a colorless diamond and for a ruby; a pair of natural pearl ear pendants; for a pearl jewel and for an historic pearl; an Indian jewel and for an emerald jewel.

The scene at Christie's in New York.

Christie’s said the atmosphere was electric.  “This sale marked the powerful start of Christie’s historic week of sales auctioning the jewelery, fashion, accessories and memorabilia from the Collection of Elizabeth Taylor between December 13-16 in tandem with the online-only sale (December 3-17)” said Marc Porter, chairman and president, Christie’s, Americas.

The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, of 33.19 carats, D color, potentially internally flawless, realized $8,818,500. The Bvlgari emerald suite, diamond and emerald jewellery acquired between 1962 and 1967 over repeat trips to Bvlgari on Via Condotti in Rome, realised $24,799,000.  It comprises a pendant brooch, necklace, ring, flower brooch, earrings and bracelet. (See examples on the Top Ten which follows this piece).

The previous auction record for a jewelery collection was for the Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor which made $50,281,887 US dollars in Geneva in 1987.

The Burton wedding bands.

THE second part of the jewellery auction with 190 pieces on offer on December 14 brought in an additional $21,303,575. The Burton wedding bands, two diamond and gold eternity bands from their marriages in 1964 in Montreal and in 1975 in Botswana, sparked a 15 minute bidding battle.  They made $1,022,500 over an estimate of $6,000-8,000.

The combined total for the two jewelery sales amounted to US$ 137,235,675.  “The spectacular results of the Evening Sale of Elizabeth Taylor’s iconic jewels sparked a surge of interest from collectors around the world. It took eight hours and three auctioneers to sell 190 more jewels from Elizabeth Taylor’s storied collection,” noted François Curiel, International Director of Jewelry at Christie’s.

(See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for December 9, December 2, November 14, September 7).

The top ten pieces from the sale of the Elizabeth Taylor jewellery collection at Christie’s in New York on December 13.  Click on any image to enlarge it. All images are © Christie’s Images Limited 2011.

The Mike Todd diamond tiara, an antique c1880 piece, sold for $4,226,500.

The BVLGARI Emerald Suite bracelet made $4,002,500. It was a gift from Richard Burton for her 35th birthday on February 27, 1967,

The Taj Mahal Diamond, circa 1627 – 28, on a gold and ruby chain, by Cartier realized $8,818,500. Inscribed with the name Nur Jahan, wife of Mughal Emperor Shan Jahangir, it set a world record for an Indian jewel. Jahangir was the father of Shan Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal.

The Elizabeth Taylor diamond made $8,818,500. AUCTION RECORD FOR A COLOURLESS DIAMOND PER CARAT. It was purchased by a private buyer from Asia.

The Richard Burton Ruby and Diamond Ring, of 8.24 carats, by Van Cleef & Arpels, was a gift from Richard Burton, Christmas 1968. He had promised to buy Elizabeth Taylor a special ruby, with perfect red color, “But it has to be perfect”, he warned. Four years after making his promise, he tucked a small box into the bottom of Elizabeth’s Christmas stocking – so small that she missed it when opening her gifts. This ring achieved $4,226,500. (Click on image to enlarge).

This necklace from the Cartier ruby suite made $3,778,500. It was a gift from Mike Todd in August 1957. (Click on image).

A close up of La Peregrina, the top lot and the world's most expensive pearl. (Click to enlarge).

The Bulgari necklace from the emerald suite made $6,130,500. It was a gift from Richard Burton on their marriage in 1964. The necklace is set with a graduated series of 16 rectangular cut and square cut emeralds. (Click on image to enlarge).

The BVLGARI Sapphire Sautoir, set with a magnificent sugarloaf cabochon sapphire of 52.72 carats sold for $5,906,500. It was an Art Deco gift from Richard Burton for Elizabeth Taylor’s 40th birthday in 1972. (Click on image to enlarge).

This pendant brooch from the Bulgari emerald suite achieved $6,578,500, a record price for an emerald jewel. (Click to enlarge).

Elizabeth Taylor’s haute couture – described by Marc Porter, Chairman and President of Christie’s, Americas as: “the greatest collection of fashion that has ever been shown on the market” – will be sold in New York on the evenings of Wednesday, December 14 and Thursday, December 15.  The sale of the Elizabeth Taylor Collections – jewels, haute couture, fashion accessories, decorative arts, film memorabilia – in New York from December 13-16 has generated worldwide interest, and it seems reasonable to expect that many estimates will be exceeded. You can see a video of the collections on this website.  All images are © Christie’s Images Limited 2011). Here is some of the couture:

UPDATE: The Icon and her Haute Couture evening sale realised $2,600,750.  The black tie sale, featuring 67 of her most iconic looks, was 100 per cent sold. The auction opened with an announcement that the Elizabeth Taylor Trust will donate Miss Taylor’s sunflower yellow dress from her first marriage to Richard Burton to a major American museum.

(See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for December 2, November 14, September 25 and September 7)

A VALENTINO RED VELVET AND SATIN BALL GOWN WITH SCARLET AND BEADED SATIN EVENING BAG THE GOWN LABELED ‘VALENTINO COUTURE’, THE BAG STAMPED TO THE INTERIOR ‘VALENTINO GARAVANI’, BOTH 1990S ($3,000-5,000). (Click to enlarge). UPDATE: THIS MADE $6,250.

PART OF AN OUTFIT - A CHRISTIAN DIOR EMPIRE LINE EVENING GOWN OF IVORY SILK FAILLE AND A CANARY YELLOW EVENING WRAP LABELED ‘CHRISTIAN DIOR PRINTEMPS-ÉTÉ 1968’, STAMPED ‘143414’ AND ‘143415’ ($8,000-10,000). Click on image to enlarge. UPDATE: THIS OUTFIT MADE $17,500.

A TIZIANI BLACK VELVET ‘SCORPIO’ EVENING CAPE LABELED ‘TIZIANI ROMA’, 1968-1969 ($2,000-3,000). (Click to enlarge). UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $60,000.

A VALENTINO BLACK LACE STAGE GOWN LABELED ‘VALENTINO COUTURE’, CIRCA 1971 ($1,500-2,000). (Click to enlarge). UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $62,500.

MISS TAYLOR’S SUNFLOWER YELLOW CHIFFON WEDDING DRESS FOR HER FIRST MARRIAGE TO RICHARD BURTON DESIGNED BY IRENE SHARAFF, LABELED ‘RAY DIFFEN’, 1964 ($40,000-60,000). Click on image to enlarge). UPDATE: THE ELIZABETH TAYLOR TRUST IS TO DONATE THIS DRESS TO AN AMERICAN MUSEUM.

This 2nd Century A.D. Imperial Roman sculpture Leda and the Swan made $19,122,500. (Click on image to enlarge).

An Imperial Roman marble group of Leda and the Swan was the top lot at Sotheby’s evening sale of antiquities in New York on December 8.  Recently discovered in Aske Hall, North Yorkshire the c2nd Century A.D. work had been in the collection of the Marques of Zetland since 1789. It sold for $19,122,500 against an estimate of $2-3 million. The sculpture was sought by four bidders, before eventually selling to an anonymous purchaser bidding on the phone. The competition included an online bidder who participated up to $16.5 million.

Overall the sale brought in $27,588,375, soaring past the top pre-sale estimate of $7.6 million, with 84 per cent of lots sold.  A marble head of Zeus Ammon, c120-160 A.D. from the collection of Dodie Rosekrans, the late San Francisco philanthropist made $3,554,500. It was bought by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. An Egyptian Basalt Head of a King, Tuthmosis III, 18th Dynasty, Early Ptolemaic Period, c304-200 B.C. made $602,500.

A news wire from Mr. Marconi. (Click on image to enlarge). UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

The world’s first news wireless transmission  features at Mealy’s rare book sale in Dublin on December 13 and 14.  It is from a work of reportage carried out by Gugliemlo Marconi and his team at the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dublin on July 20, 1898.  Marconi, who was later to set up transatlantic wireless stations at Crookhaven in Co. Cork and Clifden in Co. Galway, was working on wireless telegraphy in Antrim when he was asked by Thomas Gill, editor of the Dublin Daily Express and Evening Mail, if he could report results from Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) Regatta direct from the high seas. Over two days he transmitted results of all the major races from a tugboat to a land station in the harbour masters office.  Here they were printed, decoded and telegraphed to the newspapers. Lot 1022 features two lengths of original Morse code ticker-tape of this first transmission from ship to shore framed with Marconi’s visiting card, a photograph and a sketch. They are from the collection of Thomas Gill, and estimated at 15,000-20,000.

The auction features Titanic memorabilia.  Among these is a letter about furnishings on the vessel and rescue Marconigrams. There is an original copy of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic and material relating to the Irish Rising and the Civil War. The venue for the sale is the D4 Hotel in Dublin.

UPDATE: The auction was 82 per cent sold and brought in more than 500,000.

A Titanic rivet head (350-500). UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,000

An original photograph showing Alfred Lord Tennyson seated on a sofa with his young son Hallam, with James Garth Marshall, Mary Marshall and their daughter Julia Mary. The picture was taken by Charles Dogson, better known as Lewis Carroll, creator of "Alice". (1,800-2,500). Click to enlarge). UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,000

Untransmitted Marconigrames from the Carpathia (3,500-5,000). Click to enlarge). UPDATE: SOLD FOR 3,500

A 1916 copy of the Proclamation (40,000-50,000). (Click to enlarge). UPDATE: THIS MADE 55,000.

Jewellery, watches, furs and vintage wine all feature at the inaugural Christmas auction at James Adam on December 14 at 6 p.m.  The Wish List sale offers something for budgets across the board.  Lots have been sourced from a variety of mainly Irish private vendors.  It includes a Hermés ‘Pullman’ handbag (1,500 – 2,000), a bottle of Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1948 (1,500 – 2,000), a cigar humidor by Elie Bleu (800 – 1,200), furs by Barnardos and Julian Vard, a Tiffany silver (1,000-1,500) and Helmut Newton’s Sumo book, published by Taschen  estimated at (3,000-5,000).  The catalogue is on-line.  Here is a small sample from what is on offer:

Helmut Newton, Sumo, Monte Carlo 1999, numbered edition, signed (5,000-8,000). UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 3,000.

Composition Rouge et Verte by Serge Poliakoff (Russian, 1906-1969), a signed and numbered 15/26 (1,500-2,000). UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 950.

A coral brooch in the form of a turtle (2,000-3,000). UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD.

A Jaeger LeCoultre and Aston Martin special edition gentleman's wrist watch (5,000-7,000). UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD.

A Hermes c1930's black crocodile pullman handbag (1,500-2,000). UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 4,000.

A diamond and pearl bracelet (4,000-6,000). UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 3,800.

The jewellery auction at O’Reilly’s of Francis St., Dublin on December 14 at 1 p.m. includes pendants, rings, bracelets, earrings and some antique silver.  The catalogue is on-line:

A diamond cocktail necklace estimate at 15,000-18,000. UPDATE: THIS WAS WITHDRAWN.

A three stone diamond ring, estimated at 7,500-8,500. UPDATE: THIS MADE 7,200.

This solitaire diamond ring is estimated at 10,000-12,000. UPDATE: THIS MADE 9,600.

A collection of collection of Benin Bronzes from the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin feature at O’Donovan and Associates sale at Newcastlewest, Co. Limerick on December 10. Dating to circa 1800 they are from the Royal Palace in the Kingdom of Benin, in present day Nigeria. The auction of around 600 lots includes furniture, silver, books, Waterford glass, art and collectibles.  Here is a small sample from what is on offer:

A Benin bronze figure. UPDATE: THIS MADE 189.

The 1959 All-Ireland Hurling Final progamme. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 212

An interior scene by Norman Teeling. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD.

This set of 4 Chinese Qing dynasty polychrome porcelain dishes made 50,000 (click on image to enlarge).

A Dublin buyer paid 50,000 for this set of four Chinese Qing Dynasty polychrome porcelain dishes at Sheppards.  They had been estimated at 500-800.  The top five results  from Sheppards Dublin and Provincial auction on November 29, 30 and December 1 were all from the Asian art section.

A group of 12 Qing Dynasty Sheng Xiao zodiac white jade zoomorphic seated figures made 40,000, a Chinese teadust glaze baluster vase made 38,000, a pair of Famille Rose standing ladies made 28,000 and a Qing scent bottle made 26,000.  The buyers of these four lots were based in the UK and Beijing.

A pair of Qing dynasty famille rose standing ladies made 28,000. (Click to enlarge).

This Qing dynasty teadust glaze baluster vase made 38,000. (Click to enlarge).

A group of twelve Chinese Qing dynasty Sheng Xiao zodiac white jade zoomorphic seated figures made 40,000. (click to enlarge).

La Peregrina, a natural pearl, diamond, ruby and cultured pearl necklace by Cartier. (Click on image to enlarge). UPDATE: IT MADE $11,842,500.

IT cost Richard Burton $37,000 to outbid a member of the Spanish Royal Family and buy La Peregrina for Elizabeth Taylor in 1969.  The legendary late 16th century jewel is one of the largest and most symmetrically perfect pear-shaped pearls in the world.  It now forms part of a natural pearl, diamond, ruby and cultured pearl necklace designed by Elizabeth Taylor with Al Durante of Cartier.  The necklace is Lot 12 in the opening sale of  The Elizabeth Taylor Collection at Christie’s in New York on the evening of December 13.  (There is a video about the collection on this website).

Estimated at $2/3 million, La Peregrina has an incredible provenance.  King Philip II of Spain (1582-1598) gave the pearl to Mary I of England before their marriage in 1554. When Mary died in 1558, the pearl returned to Spain, where it remained on show in the royal court. It was owned by subsequent Spanish Kings Philip III, (1598-1621), Philip IV, (1621-1665), Charles II (1665-1700), Philip V (1700-1746), Fernando VI (1746-1759), Charles III (1759-1778) and Carlos IV (1778-1808). Spain lost the jewel in 1808 when Napoleon Bonaparte invaded, thereafter earning the nickname La Peregrina (the Wanderer). It was owned by Joseph Bonaparte, of France (1808-circa 1844) and Prince Louis Napoleon, of France (circa 1844-circa 1848). It was sold by Charles Louis Napoleon (Napoleon III) while in exile in London to the 2nd Marques of Abercorn (circa 1848-1914) and remained in the Abercorn family until Burton purchased it for Elizabeth Taylor in 1969.

The catalogue describes it as follows:  “Suspending a detachable drop-shaped natural pearl pendant, weighing approximately 202.24 grains or 50.56 carats, measuring approximately 17.35 – 17.90 x 25.50 mm, with an old mine-cut and rose-cut diamond and silver foliate bail, suspended from a circular-cut diamond flame motif set with a pear-shaped ruby, spaced by a detachable pear-shaped ruby and natural pearl link, to the two-strand necklace, comprising fifty-six natural pearls and four cultured pearls, intersected by eight circular-cut diamond and cushion-cut ruby flame motif plaques, mounted in platinum and gold, La Peregrina late 16th century; diamond bail early 19th century; natural pearl, diamond, ruby and cultured pearl necklace by Cartier 1972, 13½ ins., pendant may also be worn as a brooch, accompanied by the seed pearl and platinum neckchain from the time of the purchase at auction in 1969, 30¾ ins.”

On December 13 Christie’s New York will present 80 of Ms. Taylor’s most iconic jewels in a special evening sale, followed by 189 additional jewels in two day sale sessions on December 14.

(See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for November 14, September 25 and September 7)