The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, formerly known as the Krupp Diamond, is a

diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...

that was bought by

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

for his wife,

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

, in 1968. The diamond was one of a number of significant pieces of jewellery owned by Taylor; her collection also included the 68 carat Taylor–Burton Diamond, which was bought by the couple in 1969. The diamond was sold by Taylor's estate in 2011 for $8.8 million.

Description

The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond is an Asscher cut diamond with a fairly large

culet In gemology, a culet is a flat face on the bottom of a gemstone. During the 14th century, after the adoption of the table cut, a further facet was added to the bottom of the cut parallel to the surface of the table. The term used for these b ...

facet, indicating it was likely cut before the 1920s, as culet facets were being phased out. A report (1132411262) dated 9 May 2011 from the

Gemological Institute of America The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is a nonprofit institute based in Carlsbad, California. It is dedicated to research and education in the field of gemology and the jewelry arts. Founded in 1931, GIA's mission is to protect buyers and s ...

states that the diamond is D colour, VS1 clarity. A supplemental letter states, among other details, that the diamond has been determined to be a Type IIa diamond.

History

The diamond was originally named after the

Krupp family The Krupp family is a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, noted for its production of steel, artillery, ammunition and other armaments. The dynasty began in 1587 when trader Arndt Krupp moved to Essen and joined the merchants' gu ...

of German industrialists, and it was sold as part of the estate of Vera Krupp (1909–1967), second wife of

Alfried Krupp Alfried Felix Alwyn Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach (13 August 1907 – 30 July 1967) was a German engineer and the last personal sole owner of the company Fried. Krupp. The eldest of eight siblings, he came from the Krupp family on his mother's ...

. The diamond was stolen on April 10, 1959. As Vera Krupp and her foreman were finishing dinner, three men knocked on her door. In seconds they forced their way in, took the Krupp Diamond, then as a ring, off her finger roughly, drawing blood. The robbers proceeded to tie Krupp and her foreman blindfolded back-to-back with wire from a lamp. The robbers then went through the house, stealing about $700,000 in cash, a revolver, and a camera. Krupp and the foreman got free, but the battery powered ranch phone was dead, so they had to drive to the Las Vegas airport to call police. The FBI got involved, because they assumed that the stolen diamond would soon be transported across state lines. This theory would turn out correct. Burton bought the Krupp diamond on May 17, 1968, at an auction in New York for $307,000, and presented Taylor with the diamond on their yacht, the '' Kalizma'' while it was moored on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

in London. Elizabeth Taylor wore the Krupp Diamond as a ring, and called it her favorite piece. The Krupp Diamond and other famous pieces of jewellery in Taylor's collection became part of Taylor's image. After Taylor's death, the stone was renamed "The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond". Taylor often wore her own jewellery including the Krupp Diamond in films, television movies, and personal appearances when she considered it appropriate. Taylor died in 2011 and the diamond was auctioned at

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...

by her estate on 16 December 2011, having been renamed the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond. It was sold for $8,818,500 (including buyer's premium, equivalent to $ as of ), to the

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

n conglomerate

E-Land E·Land Group () is a South Korean conglomerate headquartered in Changjeon-dong Mapo-gu Seoul, South Korea. E-Land Group takes part in retail malls, restaurants, theme parks, hotels, and construction businesses as well as its cornerstone, fashion ...

, setting a record price per carat US$265,697 for a colorless diamond.

References

Sources

* * * * {{refend Krupp Individual diamonds

Diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...

Richard Burton Individual rings

Description

History

See also

References

Sources