It was an unusually warm day in December when I hopped on the train to New York to see the Elizabeth Taylor exhibit at Christie’s Auction House. It’s holiday time at M. Flynn and we’re pretty busy preparing orders, so I thought I wouldn’t be able to fit a trip to New York into my December. I’ve been stalking the exhibit from afar and trying to accept that I’d have to miss out, but for someone who is obsessed with jewelry, an exhibit that brings some of the most important pieces in the world together in one place is really a once in a lifetime opportunity. When the exhibit opened over the weekend, I started to read all the reviews and I got teary. I knew I just couldn’t miss it!

If you have the opportunity to see the show, you will be struck speechless by this unbelievable collection of pieces from all the top jewelry houses: Cartier, Bvlgari, Van Cleef and the lesser-known, JAR. I purchased Liz Taylor’s book My Love Affair with Jewelry a few years ago (a great read for anyone!), and so I was familiar with many of the pieces shown, but I was not prepared for the sheer volume of her jewelry collection nor for how amazingly large and beautiful the stones were, even behind the glass. The color and quality of every stone, from large to small, was incredible.

Taylor believed her jewelry should be shared and I hope whoever buys important pieces like the Taj Mahal diamond, the Taylor Burton (Krupp) Diamond and the Grand Duchess Vladimir Suite are as generous with their purchases. In her book Taylor says, “If you’re a collector, I think you’ve got to be willing to share. Some people lock their passions up in vaults behind dark doors so it’s only theirs. Some people have their paintings put into storage so nobody else can look at them. I don’t understand that mentality at all.”

For better pictures than mine, check out this slide show by Vanity Fair Magazine.

— Megan