London -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Though she may have had numerous husbands and lovers , Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor had one enduring love : jewelry . Her dazzling collection of jewels , many of which were given to her as presents by husbands including Richard Burton and Mike Todd , were referred to Friday in London by Jonathan Rendell , Deputy Chairman of Christie 's Americas , as `` the crown jewels of Hollywood . '' Fans of the screen idol can now ogle highlights from her extensive jewelry collection , along with a selection of her haute couture dresses by designers including Chanel and Christian Dior , and paintings by artists such as Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro , at Christie 's auction house in London . They are being exhibited there as part of a world tour that will culminate in a series of high-profile sales at Christie 's in New York in December . Taylor 's jewel collection has been valued in excess of $ 30 million , according to the auction house . Keith Penton , head of the jewelry department at Christie 's in London , said that Taylor 's taste in jewels was `` extraordinarily refined . She really understood her gemstones -LRB- -LSB- and -RRB- she had a passion for design and workmanship , quite a rare combination . '' And not only do they speak of her infamous and tempestuous romance with actor Richard Burton , he said , the jewels come with their own dramatic histories -- such as a 50-carat pearl known as `` La Peregrina , '' given to her by Burton in 1969 , that was once part of the crown jewels of Spain . It was mounted onto a specially commissioned diamond and ruby Cartier necklace and is estimated to fetch between $ 2 million and $ 3 million at auction in December . There is also the Taj Mahal diamond pendant necklace , which Burton gave her on her 40th birthday in 1972 and which had been a gift from the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to his wife in the 17th century . `` If a jewel had a historic provenance , they were particularly enamored , '' said Penton of the pair 's taste in gems . According to Nancy Schoenberger , co-author of the book `` Furious Love : Elizabeth Taylor , Richard Burton , The Marriage of the Century , '' Taylor developed a taste for jewels from a young age . `` Her father was an art and antiques dealer , '' Schoenberger explained . `` She grew up surrounded by beautiful things and was always drawn to jewelry as a young girl , '' she said . But it was n't until Taylor 's marriage to film and Broadway producer Mike Todd that her passion for collecting serious jewels took hold , Schoenberger said . Todd , her third husband , bought Taylor a 29.4-carat diamond ring as well as a diamond tiara , which she wore to the 1957 Academy Awards . Schoenberger believes that when Richard Burton bought Taylor the 33.19-carat Krupp Diamond ring in 1968 -- possibly the star piece in the exhibition at Christie 's , estimated to fetch between $ 2.5 million and $ 3.5 million -- he was trying to out-do Mike Todd , who had died unexpectedly just over a year into his marriage with Taylor . `` I think that was a big deal for Richard , to buy her a diamond as big as Mike Todd 's . And he liked showing that the son of a Welsh coal-miner could buy his lady love these extravagant jewels , '' she said . Penton believes that the collection will induce feverish bidding in the salesroom , for the quality of the collection but also for their added Hollywood glamor . `` Judging from past sales , which have never been as spectacular as this one -- I think the sky 's the limit , '' he said . The actress , who died this year aged 79 , eulogized her love of gems in her 2002 memoir , `` My Love Affair With Jewelry . '' In it , she wrote : `` I never , never thought of my jewelry as trophies . I 'm here to take care of them and to love them . When I die and they go off to auction I hope whoever buys them gives them a really good home . '' At a press conference on Friday , Rendell of Christie 's said that the collection reveals `` one of the great characters , this was one of the great stars , this was someone who understood her contract with the public . '' Penton agreed and said , `` Looking at the couture , you can see that she was not a very large lady but obviously with the hair , with the presence , with the glamor , it all added up to something very fabulous . '' In memory of the actress 's life-long devotion to humanitarian causes , a portion of profits generated by admissions , events and select publications related to the sales will be donated to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation -LRB- ETAF -RRB- , which she set up in 1991 . `` Highlights from the Collection of Elizabeth Taylor '' is on public display at Christie 's , London , on 24 , 25 and 26 September , after which it will travel to Los Angeles , Dubai , Geneva , Paris , Hong Kong and finally , New York .