Precious Diamond Jewellery Collections

The stories and history behind jewellery collections are often more important to the valuation than the jewels themselves!

We just spotted an article in W Jewelry magazine whihc ranks the Top 10 collections in its latest issue:

1. Queen Elizabeth. Very few of us can boast a collection of tiaras and crowns but The Queen can. She also has a scepter that holds the mazing 53 carat Cullinan diamond and a 1904 Cartier necklace that was originally designed for Queen Alexander.

2. Farah Pahlavi. Although the former empress of Iran went into exile back in the 1970s and left many of her jewels behind she still holds an amazing collection of jewellery. The mainstay of the collection is a 4lb Ruby, Pearl, Emerald and Diamond Crown that took Pierre Arpels of Van Cleef & Arpels six months to make!

3. Elizabeth Taylor. The Hollywood star is the pinup girl for beautiful jewelry, The center piece of her collection is the Taylor-Burton diamond an incredible 69-carat pear-shaped diamond. Lucky Elizabeth has also received many other outstanding jewels as presents, including La Peregrina, a pearl also given to her by her former husband, Richard Burton, and a set of jewellery that was given to her by Michael Jackson which is adorned with gemstone-encrusted monkeys.

4. Lily Safra. This socialite favours antique jewellery, she collects pieces from Place Vendome jeweler Joel A. Rosenthal.

5. Dodie Rosekrans. Rosekrans has a thing for ancient jewels and for emeralds - including those previously owned by crowned heads of India and maharajas.

6. Prince Jefri of Brunei. He is said to decorate his gadgets with colored stones.

7. Queen Sirikit of Thailand. She's made it her mission to promote native gold and silver handicrafts, so she travels the globe showing off her personal collection of jewellery - and has those interested parties check out the Thai pieces, too.

8. Danielle Steel. Steel, author of romance novels, has a passion for big jewels that look good when she wears them. Her yellow diamond collection is believed to be unbelievable.

9. Princess Firyal of Jordan. Favours large earrings and has a fabulous colelction of jewellery despite the fact thattwo of the center pieces; (a brooch of Andy Warhol's and a Cartier bracelet owned by Wallis Simpson inscribed with a note from the Duke of Windsor) were stolen.

10. Barbra Streisand. She has a preferance for art nouveau-style jewelry. She recently sold one of her Lalique long-chain necklaces was at auction for $352,000.