Cleopatra star Elizabeth Taylor once told dear friend Joan Collins that she always made the producer or director give her an 'end of picture' present when filming wrapped. "Careers don't last you know, they go up and down," she said.
"You need to get a present when your career is up and when it's down you can recall how good it was from the amount of presents you have!"
It's because of this, along with her seven husbands, that the violet-eyed beauty amassed a colossal collection of jewels that represented the ultimate fusion of power, wealth and beauty.
And part of her impressive array of diamonds, gems and pearls, worth a total $145 million out of her $1bn fortune, will go under the hammer to raise money for her charity, Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation.
The items for sale at Christie's Rockefeller Center in New York include a ruby and diamond Cartier necklace - a gift from her third husband Mike Todd. Meanwhile, fans may fancy owning the 33.19-carat Krupp diamond slipped on her finger by her 'soul mate', Richard Burton, which Elizabeth wore every day for the rest of her life (pictured below).
Elizabeth Taylor: the life of a screen icon and Hollywood beauty
