Think of Hollywood and the stars there, and thoughts of glamor and glitz aren’t far behind. Every premier and party is graced with stars dripping in designer clothing and jewelry.

As lovely as the gems on any red carpet might be, there are a few pieces that truly stand out, almost as much as the ladies who wore them.

Elizabeth Taylor’s Ring For Richard Burton

Elizabeth Taylor had more than a few engagement rings in her time – eight weddings, but only seven husbands. She married Richard Burton twice.

For his part, Burton gave her one of the most iconic of her jewels, as well as her clear favorite. She wore the ring almost every day.

Given to her in 1968, the ring from Burton featured a 33-carat diamond. The stone is said to be nearly flawless. When the ring was sold at auction with the other pieces from Taylor’s collection in 2011, it went for $8 million, almost 4 times as much as estimated.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Diamond

Regardless of age, everyone is familiar with the image of Marilyn Monroe from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, singing Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend. In it, Monroe wears a pink satin dress, elbow length gloves, and a large diamond at her neck.

But the history of the diamond doesn’t start with the movie. Instead, the stunning canary yellow diamond has a long, exotic story.

Known as the Moon of Baroda, the 24-carat stone was owned by the Maharajas of Baroda for 500 years. Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and Marie Antoinette both wore the diamond. Stolen by an Afghan tribal leader, the stone disappeared for almost 200 years.

After it resurfaced, it was purchased and later loaned to Monroe for the movie. The necklace was eventually sold at auction.

An Engagement Ring Fit for a Princess

Grace Kelly was born to a Philadelphia contractor and grew to become a more than just an actress. She was also the very definition of elegance.

In 1955, Kelly met Prince Rainer of Monaco at the Cannes film festival. Six months later, the Prince presented Kelly with a ruby and diamond band, a promise ring. But that wasn’t the ring that would become famous.

Several months later, the Prince of Monaco presented Kelly with an almost 10-and-a-half carat Art Deco style diamond ring. In addition to the center diamond, the platinum setting held two baguette diamonds. The ring even appeared in Kelly’s final feature film, High Society. 

Visit Barsky's on Sansom St. if you need help finding your special jewel!