13 dazzling scenes that prove Elizabeth Taylor's own jewelry is her greatest co-star
Elizabeth Taylor made a cameo appearance in the 1969 film One Thousand Days of Anne, in which her then-husband Richard Burton played Henry VIII in the anne Boleyn biopic.
A cameo appearance as a masked prostitute may seem like a strange choice for the world's most famous woman, but it gives Taylor a chance to make her La Peregrina pearl immortal on screen. The pearl, a gift from Burton to Taylor, belonged to the Spanish royal family for more than 250 years and was once part of Marie Tudor's collection, which was eventually found in the little star's jewelry box after being auctioned off in 1969.
This isn't the first time Taylor has worn her personal jewelry while starring in a role, and she often puts her most precious jewelry in her character's wardrobe. The Bulgari floral brooch given to her by her fourth husband, Eddie Fisher, has made cameo appearances in several films, and her love of record-breaking diamonds has risen to prominence, ultimately influencing the films she starred in.
Vogue magazine revealed that her love affair with film and jewelry overlapped 13 times.
"The Woman of Zhumen Qiao", 1958
In The Woman in Jumbo, Elizabeth wears a beautiful diamond heart pendant given to her by her third husband, Mike Todd, shortly before her tragic death in a plane crash in March 1958. She also wore this sentimental jewelry in Summer Horror (1959).
A Generation of Couples, 1963
When Taylor played troubled movie star Francis Andros in A Generation of Lovers, she came to the set with her set of emeralds. In the film, she wears a pair of Bulgari earrings and a Bulgari sapphire diamond brooch given to the actor by her fourth husband, Eddie Fisher, which she wore on their wedding day. In 2011, the Myanmar diamond was sold at a heritage auction for £1.3 million.
Cleopatra, 1963
For the seminal role of Cleopatra, the actor wore clothes that expressed the Queen's fascination with serpentine details. Later, Taylor acquired his own Bulgari Serpenti series of works. Most notably, on the set of Cleopatra, her supporting character and future husband, Richard Burton, gave her a diamond and emerald watch.
Floating Clouds of Wealth, 1968
1968's "Floating Clouds of Wealth" proved to be the perfect opportunity for Taylor to show off her supreme collection. Burton spent $307,000 (£234,000) for his wife a Archer-cut diamond, once known as the Krupp diamond and later renamed the Elizabeth Taylor diamond. In 2011, it sold for $8.8 million (£6.7 million) at Taylor's estate auction.
Outside of the film, Taylor pins her emeralds and Bulgari diamond brooches to her costume and sparkles with her diamond ring.
Anne's Thousand Days, 1969
In Burton's film Henry VIII, Taylor made a brief cameo as a courtier, wearing La Peregrina pearls as part of her costume. This pearl was the largest pearl in the world when it was discovered in the 16th century. In 1969, Burton bought Taylor at Sotheby's for $37,000 (£28,000) as a Valentine's Day gift.
The Vigil, 1973
Taylor wore van Cleef & Arpels' oval ruby and diamond ring for her role in the thriller The Night's Watch, which her then-husband, Richard Burton, had given her on Christmas 1968. The ring sold for $4.2 million (£3.2 million) at Christie's auction in 2011.
Spring Break, 1973
Taylor wore a pair of removable teardrop-shaped natural pearl earrings for her role in Spring Break. Set with two pearls and a round diamond, the earrings were a gift from Bulgari lawyer Aaron Frosch to the actor last year.
In another scene, the actor wears her Van Cleef & Arpels ruby ring, a string of pearls, matching bracelets and diamond earrings.
Serenade (1977)
Taylor, who played Desiree Armfeldt in Sondheim's "A Little Night Music," set La Peregrina pearls in a cartier necklace.
Here Comes Lucy, 1974
Taylor and Burton appear as their own in "Here Comes Lucy," and they participate in a sketch where host Lucille Ball wears Taylor and Burton's diamonds on her ring finger.
Murder in the Broken Mirror, 1980
To play the film star Marina Greg Luther in Agatha Christie's film Murder in Broken Mirrors, Elizabeth wore a coral, amethyst and round-cut diamond pendant on her left shoulder as a brooch. This Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry was a gift from Burton during their wedding, and it can also be worn as a long necklace necklace.