Elizabeth Taylor owned some of the most famous jewelry ever, as shown by the incredible demand at a recent auction. One of the pieces that sold, the rare La Peregrina pearl, has an interesting history. It turns out that the pearl, which sold for nearly $12 million at auction and was given to Liz by Richard Burton, was once a "Scooby snack" for Liz's dog! It seems many people have "the dog ate my...." stories, but really, none can top this one!
According to the New York Post's Page Six, Liz Taylor's dog ate the famous pearl just moments after she got it for Valentine's Day back in 1969. The Post quotes Ward Landrigan, former Sotheby's jewelry head, as saying that shortly after he arrived in Las Vegas to show Taylor and Richard Burton the nearly 56-carat, perfect pearl, one of Taylor's pooches decided it was a yummy dog treat!
Elizabeth Taylor apparently didn't realize what was going on, at least at first. She knew the pearl was missing, of course, but had no idea what had happened. The Sotheby's official got down to search the carpet and quickly determined what was going on. Landrigan says, "The room had pink shag carpeting, and I was crawling past a settee when I saw one of [Taylor's] two Lhasa apsos, and I heard the crunch. I said, 'Liz, I know where the pearl is."
Yikes! Turns out that yes, one of Elizabeth Taylor's beloved dogs was munching on the pricey bauble. She acted fast, though, somehow digging the pearl out of her dog's jaws before the pooch swallowed it! The pearl was only slightly scratched and the dog no doubt got some more appropriate treats (perhaps treats that didn't cost thousands!). Whew. This story gives new meaning to jewelry with history, right?
Has your dog ever eaten any of your jewelry? Did you get the jewelry back? Was the pooch okay, hopefully?
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