Krupp Diamond - History

History

The diamond was originally named for the Krupp family of German industrialists, and it was sold as part of the estate of Vera Krupp (1909-1967), second wife of Alfried Krupp.

Elizabeth Taylor wore the Krupp Diamond as a ring, and called it her favorite piece. The Krupp Diamond and other famous pieces of jewelry in Taylor's collection became part of Taylor's image. After Dame Elizabeth's death, the stone was rechristened "The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond."

The diamond is often incorrectly credited with an appearance on the Here's Lucy episode "Lucy Meets the Burtons" in 1970. The ring that appeared in that episode was actually the pear shaped Taylor-Burton Diamond. Lucy Carter (played by Lucille Ball) found the 69.42 carat (13.88 g) ring and got it stuck on her finger. Lucy ends up having to substitute her own hand for Miss Taylor's at a press party held to show off the ring. This was the highest rated episode of the very popular series and earned an Emmy nomination for comedy writing. Lucy, the Burtons, and the ring appeared on the cover of the September 5, 1970 issue of TV Guide. Miss Taylor often wore her own jewelry including The Krupp Diamond in films, television movies, and personal appearances when the occasion struck her as appropriate.

On December 16, 2011, the diamond (renamed The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond by her Estate) was sold on auction by Christie's for $8,818,500 (including buyer's premium), by South Korean conglomerate E-Land, setting a record price per carat ($265,697) for a colorless diamond.