Kim Kardashian says she was invited into Elizabeth Taylor’s home shortly after the actress died in March 2011.
In an Instagram video posted October 28th, Kardashian recalled being shown Taylor’s safe before the jewelry was removed, with the furniture and belongings in her purple closet still in place. “I know that sounds insane,” she said, according to PEOPLE.
She shared the memory during a private Bulgari appointment in Rome, where Taylor’s emerald-and-diamond necklace had been brought out for a photoshoot. Kardashian said she had previously spoken with Taylor by telephone about that particular piece.
Kardashian was in Italy promoting the second season of All’s Fair. She had also just celebrated her 46th birthday on October 21st.
Law Roach Arranged the Birthday Surprise
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Stylist Law Roach organized the fitting, which Kardashian attended with her mother, Kris Jenner. As Bulgari’s team presented the jewels from its archives, Jenner teased her daughter by asking how it felt to be Liz.
Kardashian called Roach on FaceTime to thank him, telling him she did not know how he had managed to arrange it. She called the experience “the best birthday present ever” and said she could begin her new year with “Elizabeth energy.”
As E! News reported, Kardashian’s admiration extended to Taylor’s confidence and philanthropy. She posed wearing the necklace with its large emerald pendant attached, then returned the borrowed jewelry to Bulgari’s team.
Burton Gave Taylor the Necklace as a Wedding Present
Christie’s identifies the necklace as Richard Burton’s gift to Taylor upon their marriage in 1964. Made two years earlier, it features sixteen rectangular- and square-cut emeralds surrounded by diamonds and mounted in platinum.
The detachable pendant has its own history. Burton gave it to Taylor upon their engagement in 1962, according to its separate auction entry. Made in 1958, the emerald-and-diamond piece can also be worn on its own as a brooch.
The two pieces were sold as separate lots at the December 2011 auction of Taylor’s collection. The necklace fetched $6,130,500, while the pendant brought $6,578,500.
Bulgari identifies the necklace and pendant as part of its Heritage Collection and says it reacquired nine pieces from Taylor’s jewelry collection. The actress’s relationship with the house developed while she was in Rome filming Cleopatra and visiting its Via Condotti store.
Kardashian Interviewed Taylor Before Her Death
Kardashian’s interest in Taylor’s jewelry was already public in February 2011, when she interviewed the actress for Harper’s Bazaar. Asked about her famous diamonds, Taylor singled out the Krupp diamond and said the emotion attached to a jewel mattered alongside its size.
Taylor described herself as a “temporary custodian” of beautiful objects. She also connected her sense of wealth to philanthropy, saying she had felt “never richer than when I have scored a big check to fight AIDS.”
Her Vintage Wardrobe Extends to the Screen and Red Carpet
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At the Academy Museum Gala on October 17th, Kardashian wore a vintage 1951 Balenciaga gown with a bouffant hairstyle, a diamond necklace and earrings.
Her wardrobe for All’s Fair included a garment that belonged to Taylor herself. In October 25th Instagram Stories reported by Us Weekly, Kardashian said Jenner owns Taylor’s black velvet Tiziani scorpion cape and lent it to her for filming.
Taylor wore the ivory-lined cape to Princess Grace of Monaco’s 40th birthday celebration in 1969. Kardashian said Ryan Murphy learned that history and wrote a Scorpion Ball into the storyline of her character, divorce lawyer Allura Grant. Jenner wore the cape herself at the show’s Rome Film Festival premiere on October 24th.
All’s Fair season two premieres November 4th on Hulu, with three episodes available at launch, according to Disney.