Elizabeth Taylor was many things; screen icon, humanitarian, hopeless romantic. One of the things she was most famous for was her amazing jewels. She famously said, “I adore wearing gems, but not because they are mine. You can’t possess radiance, you can only admire it.” Take a look below at some of her more extravagant pieces.

The Krupp Diamond:

This 33.19ct emerald-cut Harry Winston diamond ring was sold to Richard Burton for $305,000 by Sotheby’s on May 16, 1968 and given to Elizabeth. Once it became hers, Elizabeth wore the ring in every movie – right down to her animated Simpsons character who also sported a cartoon version of the sparkler. Of the diamond, Taylor said, “…When I look into it, the deep Asscher cuts—which are so complete and ravishing—are like steps that lead into eternity and beyond. With its sparks of red and white and blue and purple, and on and on, really, it sort of hums with its own beatific life. To me, the Krupp says, ‘I want to share my chemistry—my magic—with you.’”

La Peregrina:

One of the largest and perfectly-pear-shaped pearls in the world, La Peregrina, meaning pilgrim or wanderer in Spanish, was found in the Gulf of Panama in 1513, according to legend. The pearl was worn by many, including Queen Mary I, both wives of Phillip IV of Spain, Joseph Bonaparte (brother of Napoleon), and continued its journey until finally ending up with James Hamilton, Duke of Abercorn. The pearl was lost twice in the possession of the Hamilton family; once in the sofa at Windsor Castle, again during a ball at Buckingham Palace. It was recovered both times. Richard Burton purchased the necklace for $37,000 from the Hamilton family and gave it to Elizabeth for Valentine’s Day. Elizabeth once lost the pearl herself, searching high and low for it only to find it in the mouth of one of her dogs. She later commissioned Cartier to redesign the necklace with pearls, diamonds, and rubies.

The Diamond Tiara:

Given to her by then-husband Mike Todd, Elizabeth wore the diamond tiara for the first time to the Academy Awards. She is pictured here wearing it again at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival. “When Mike Todd gave me this tiara, he said, ‘You’re my queen, and I think you should have a tiara,’ she wrote.

Cartier Ruby Suite:

Elizabeth wrote: “I got out and put my arms around him, and he said, ‘Wait a minute, don’t joggle your tiara.’ Because I was wearing the tiara he had bought for me in the pool! He was holding a red leather box, and inside was a ruby-and-diamond bib necklace, which glittered in the warm light. It was like the sun, lit up and made of red fire. First Mike put it around my neck and smiled. Then he bent down and put matching earrings on me. Next came the bracelet. Since there was no mirror around, I had to look into the water. The jewelry was glorious, rippling red on blue like a painting. I shrieked with joy, put my arms around Mike’s neck, and pulled him into the pool after me. It was a perfect summer day and a day of perfect love.”

The Diamond Chandelier Earrings:

They caught the eye of Elizabeth from the window of a boutique in Paris, and at the time were made with paste gems. Taylor wrote: “A few months later, back in New York, I was getting ready for a party and went to put them on. I opened the box, and the earrings looked all polished up. I put them on. There was something different about how they fit. I said, ‘Mike, there’s something wrong with my earrings.’ He chuckled and said he’d had them made up with real diamonds!”

The Taylor-Burton Diamond:

Originally, the rough diamond was found in South Africa, weighing 241 carats. It was cut into a 64.9ct pear shaped diamond by Harry Winston, and purchased by Richard Burton for $1.1million. Originally set in a ring, Elizabeth had Cartier set the stone in a necklace because she thought it was too big for a ring. She wore it publicly for the first time at Princess Grace of Monaco’s 40^th birthday celebration. In 1978, after Elizabeth and Richard had divorced, she auctioned the diamond for $5,000,000 which was used to build a hospital in Botswana.

“You can’t cry on a diamond’s shoulder and diamonds won’t keep you warm at night, but they’re sure fun when the sun shines!”

-Elizabeth Taylor