Elizabeth Taylor’s Opal Jewelry
Some beloved jewels from Elizabeth Taylor’s legendary collection have recently stepped back into the spotlight. Taylor Swift was recently seen wearing an opal suite from designer Darlene de Sedle that was originally acquired and owned by Elizabeth.
The suite includes two bracelets, a pair of chandelier earrings, and a ring, all crafted in 22k yellow gold and set with natural Australian crystal and black opals. The pieces were purchased by Elizabeth in 1999, and remained in her collection until their sale in the Collection of Elizabeth Taylor held by Christie’s auction house in 2011. The lot fetched around $6,000, and was part of a staggering, record-breaking $156.7 million week — one of the largest celebrity estate sales ever recorded. In late 2025, the set showed up again, selling online for $125,000 to a sports agent, leading some to believe that the set became a Christmas present for Taylor Swift from fiancé Travis Kelce.
Elizabeth most notably wore the earrings from the suite at the 1999 Project Angel Food Angel Award ceremony, where she was honoured for her decades of HIV and AIDS advocacy and charitable work. She paired the earrings that evening with a one-of-a-kind diamond and opal starfish pendant — one that she designed herself.
Image: Lisa Rose / Globe Photos
The design for the pendant began with a question Elizabeth couldn’t quite answer: what to do with a beautiful opal stone she had acquired and adored, but hadn’t yet found the right setting for. According to her longtime assistant, Tim Mendelson, the answer was sitting on her bookshelf. “After much consideration for what to do with this gorgeous opal, Elizabeth was struck with an idea! She picked up a tiny precious starfish her granddaughter had given her, positioning it with the stone against an 18k gold chain by Ilias Lalaounis. At that moment, the concept for the necklace was born.” Elizabeth sent the idea to jeweler David Webb, who translated her concept into the final piece: a circular-cut diamond starfish set atop an opal clamshell, mounted in 18k gold and platinum.
Bedroom Shelf #1, from 700 Nimes Road, 2010-11 Courtesy of Catherine Opie, Regen Projects, Los Angeles, and Lehmann Maupin, New York & Hong Kong
The starfish that inspired this design — seen here nestled in a seashell — is immortalized in a photograph by Catherine Opie, who documented the interiors and belongings of Elizabeth's home at 700 Nimes Road in 2010 and 2011. Her photographs offer a perspective of Elizabeth that goes much deeper than fame: amidst the glamour, her humanity shines through in the sentimental objects she kept close. It shines through here, too, in the oceanic spirit of this one-of-a-kind necklace — an enduring symbol of Elizabeth's love of nature and jewelry, the joy she drew from her family, and her gift for finding beauty in the everyday.