Some jewels have a history; La Peregrina has an adventure story. The pear-shaped pearl travelled through the courts of Spain and England, appeared in paintings by Velázquez and ended up in Elizabeth Taylor’s famous collection, where it very nearly became a puppy’s chew toy. Vanity Fair Italia has retold the tale this week, and it is one every jewellery lover should know.
A pearl fit for queens
La Peregrina, Spanish for “the pilgrim” or “the wanderer”, is a natural pearl of around 50 carats found in the Gulf of Panama in the 16th century. Tradition says it was discovered by an enslaved man who was granted his freedom in return. King Philip II of Spain gave it to Mary I of England, and it later passed to Spanish queens Margaret and Isabel, who wear it in portraits by Diego Velázquez.
Over the following centuries it belonged to Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother, then to Napoleon III and later the Dukes of Abercorn. In 1969 it came up at auction, and Richard Burton bought it for $37,000 as a Valentine’s gift for Elizabeth Taylor, who first wore it on a delicate chain of platinum and small pearls.
The moment it almost vanished
Taylor told the story herself in her book My Love Affair with Jewelry. Soon after receiving the pearl, while the couple were staying at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, she reached for it and found the chain empty. Not wanting Burton to notice, she quietly retraced her steps, eventually taking off her slippers and socks to search the carpet on her hands and knees.
Then she noticed one of the puppies chewing what looked like a bone, which was odd, because the dogs were never given bones. She opened its mouth and there was La Peregrina, by her own account completely unscratched. She waited a while before confessing the episode to her husband.
Cartier, Christie’s and a world record
In 1972 Taylor asked Cartier to give the pearl a worthy setting. The result was a necklace of natural pearls with diamond and ruby details and La Peregrina hanging at the centre, a design inspired by the old royal portraits. After the actress died in 2011, the necklace was offered at Christie’s in New York with an estimate of $2–3 million. It sold for $11,842,500, a world auction record for a pearl jewel.
A single drop can carry an entire look, as Taylor proved. Explore our pendant necklaces, add a touch of red with ruby pendants, or frame the face with elegant earrings.
Sources: Vanity Fair Italia, “La storia della Peregrina, la perla di Elizabeth Taylor da 12 milioni di dollari” (24 October 2026); Christie’s press release via CIJ, “La Peregrina makes history” (December 2011); Guinness World Records, “Most expensive pearl necklace sold at auction”; JCK, “This Day in Jewelry History: Elizabeth Taylor Meets La Peregrina”. Featured image: AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of the original pearl.
