Christie`s: Elizabeth Taylor $137-million auction makes history
Baku, December 27 (AZERTAC). Christie`s is touting its two-day sale of Elizabeth Taylor`s jewelry as a world-record-breaking jewelry auction, totaling more than $137 million. It was a jaw-dropper, with jewels that belonged to the screen legend going for millions more than their Christie`s estimate. "It was the most valuable jewelry sale in auction history," said a representative of the auction house who asked not to be named. The jewels grabbing the top three prices included gifts from Richard Burton. The "Taj Mahal" diamond, which Burton gave her on her 40th birthday, sold for $8.8 million, as did a 33.19-carat diamond ring. "La Peregrina" -- a pearl, diamond and ruby necklace given to Taylor by Burton in 1969 -- was the top seller at $11.8 million. Burton paid $37,000 for it. Among the buyers at the auction was one Kim Kardashian, who apparently now owns a little chunk of Elizabeth Taylor`s mojo. Reality-TV star Kardashian says Taylor`s "energy" was captured in the jade bracelets that she purchased Tuesday in the evening auction. Jade, like that in the Lorraine Schwartz bracelets that belonged to Taylor, "transfers energy," she told Us Weekly. So Kardashian has bracelets with "her energy in them." And Christie`s, therefore, has a bank account with Kardashian`s $64,900 in it, the whopping price she reportedly paid for the jade and diamond bracelets. As the Ministry reported Wednesday, 80 items from Taylor`s jewelry collection were auctioned Tuesday in New York for $115 million, with the remaining 189 items auctioned Wednesday. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.More from the late actress` estate will go on sale later in the week, including some of her film scripts and costumes. In February, her collection of Impressionist and Modernist art will go on sale in London. Jewels, gowns and paintings that added color to Elizabeth Taylor`s life are already, six months after her death, traveling the world en route to new owners. Christie`s is taking the material to eight cities in seven countries for sales previews or "exhibitions" before putting it up for auction. This weekend is the London showing. Much of the material then travels to Los Angeles for a preview at MOCA`s Pacific Design Center branch from Oct. 13 to 16. Tickets for the L.A. event went on sale Thursday at christies.com. Five thousand tickets are available at $20 each; 850 sold within the first two hours, according to a Christie`s spokesperson. The profits from the preview at MOCA`s Pacific Design Center will be split between the museum and the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation; a minimum contribution of $100,000 will go to the museum. Marc Porter, chairman of Christie`s Americas, says that he approached MOCA. "We considered hotels, theaters and other sorts of venues before deciding this one was perfect," he says, citing its location, size, the availability of parking and security as leading concerns. Future stops on the tour include the Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai, the Four Seasons Hotel in Geneva, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Wanchai, and Christie`s salesrooms in Paris and New York.
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