The lights dimmed inside Christie's auction house last night in New York, and a highlight reel of Elizabeth Taylor's best performances as an actress played for everyone in attendance.
After recaps of "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" played, the final scene was a real home video of Taylor sunbathing by the pool as she tried to bid on the former Duchess of Windsor's brooch.
Click here to see the highlights from the sale >
In the video Taylor says, "It looks as if everything is going to sell much higher than the estimated prices, doesn't it darling? Keep bidding!"
The crowd at Christie's laughed and took Taylor's advice. On the first night of the sale for The Elizabeth Taylor Collection, the actress' jewelry sold for $115.9 million--a world record for a private jewelry collection sold at auction. The proceeds will go to The Elizabeth Taylor Foundation.
The highlights of the night were a La Peregrina natural pearl, diamond, ruby, and cultured pearl necklace that sold for $11.8 million, including fees. That price broke the world record for the most expensive pearl ever sold at auction, formerly $7 million. The estimated value of Taylor's necklace was $2 million to $3 million before auction.
Overall, the emeralds and diamonds sold very well, while the gifts from Michael Jackson sold above estimate but on the lower end of the scale. Almost every item sold above its high estimate.
Actress Jennifer Tilly, entrepreneur Peter Grant and art collector Glenn Fuhrman were among the hundreds of people in attendance.
A ruby and diamond necklace by Cartier sold for $3.7 million. It's estimated value was $200,000 to $300,000.
An emerald and diamond bracelet by Bvlgari sold for $4 million. It was estimated at $300,000 to $500,000.
The diamond tiara given to Elizabeth Taylor by her late-husband Mike Todd was estimated at $60,000 to $80,000. It hammered at $4.22 million.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.
See Also:
- The Incredible Life Of Russia's Newest Presidential Contender—Nets Owner Mikhail Prokhorov
- The 10 Best States For Getting A Divorce
- The Italian Cat Who Inherited $15.6 Million Is Now The Third Richest Animal In The World