Kim Kardashian wears Elizabeth Taylor’s $12.7 million emerald necklace in Rome

Kim Kardashian has been given a rare opportunity to wear one of Elizabeth Taylor’s most celebrated jewellery pieces, trying on the late actress’s emerald and diamond necklace during a visit to Bulgari in Rome.

The appearance took place on Friday, as Kardashian began her promotional tour for All’s Fair.

Her stylist, Law Roach, arranged the experience as a birthday surprise, allowing her to view and wear part of Taylor’s historic jewellery collection.

“Law really pulled some strings,” Kardashian joked while speaking to Roach over FaceTime. The stylist described the opportunity as unprecedented, explaining, “Nobody’s ever done this before.”

Kardashian wore the emerald necklace alongside a pair of similar earrings, although they were not Taylor’s original matching pieces.

The necklace forms part of an iconic collection gifted to Taylor by her husband, actor Richard Burton, over several years.

Burton initially gave Taylor an emerald pendant for her 30th birthday in 1962. He later presented her with the necklace as a wedding gift in 1964. Its design features Colombian emeralds surrounded by diamonds and set in platinum.

The collection was sold at a Christie’s auction in December 2011 following Taylor’s death. Bulgari acquired the pieces for its archives, with the necklace selling for $6,130,500 and the detachable pendant fetching $6,578,500.

Kardashian also revealed that she had previously spoken to Taylor by telephone about the jewellery and visited her home shortly after her death in 2011.

Calling the experience the “best birthday present ever”, Kardashian described Taylor as a lasting inspiration for her fashion interests and humanitarian work.