It seems almost impossible, in the current economic climate, that a hundred lots of jewllery could sell for more than hundred million dollars in just four short hours. However it once also seemed impossible that the actress who began her career playing second fiddle to the dog Lassie, would go on to become one of the most acclaimed actresses by critics and the Academy of Arts and Science for her leading role in Edward Albee's, Whose afraid ofVirginia Woolf?. Or that the woman who was less than 1.60 centimetres tall and was described by the love of her life, Richard Burton, as short legged and extremely breasty, become the cover day after day of hndreds of magazines and be praised as one of the most beautiful women in the world.  

the film star was larger than life. Her legend continues to be unstopable, even after her death. Elisabeth Taylor is now more Elisabeth Taylor than ever. The last occasion has been the first sale of her jewlery collection by the auction firm Christie's. No animal, film role or husband could compete with her being first page in the papers. The great love of her life, was without a doubt, publicity. She knew better than anyone, unlike todays stars, that publicity was her life.

From her collection her most prized gem was The Peregrina Pearl, cited on this website on several occasions, and its appearance at the New York headquartes of the English auction house in Manhattan's Rockefeller Plaza has left us with one of history's greatest hammer prices. The passionate tale of this pearl is well known by Spaniards and our most faithful readers, found in the Caribian coast by a Guatemala indian, it was sold to Philip II who himself bequested it to his then wife Mary Stuart. From then on the pear shaped pearl became the crown jewel of Spain until the Penninsular war, when it began to go from hand to hand until it was sold in 1967, in a New York sale, to Richard Burton for 30,000 euros. 

Forty years later the same piece raised the arms of more than twenty bidders, who for four and a half minutes battled until it was sold for almost 12 million dollars. Multiplying by four its original estimate, the Peregrina was the highest sold lot in yesterday's sale. The identity of the new owner is unknown, the English firm has only confirmed that it was a telephone bidder whose nationality is still a mystery. It does not matter, whoever it is can hardly compete with eight kings of Spain, a Napoleon and one Queen of Hollywood. Alfonso Carbajo Agrasar