Kim Kardashian has borrowed Elizabeth Taylor’s legendary emerald necklace from Bulgari’s vaults.
The Skims founder, 46, was given access to the historic piece during a private appointment at the Bulgari store in Rome last Friday morning, where she was closing down the boutique for a personal fitting ahead of her “All’s Fair” press tour. Her stylist Law Roach orchestrated the loan, which Kardashian celebrated by FaceTiming him from the showroom.
“You did it. I don’t’ know how you did this,” she told Roach during the call, according to her own Instagram recap.
Roach, who has styled Zendaya and Celine Dion, made clear the rarity of the moment. “This is unprecedented,” he explained. “Nobody’s ever done this before.”
The Bulgari team reinforced the exceptionality of the arrangement. “This is not something we regularly do,” they said as Kardashian stood before the tray of emeralds and diamonds.
The reality star was immediately captivated. “I would sleep in this every night,” she declared while trying on the necklace, which she paired with a similar but not identical set of emerald and diamond earrings. The original matching earrings, ring and bracelet from Taylor’s complete suite remained in the archives for this occasion.
The necklace itself carries decades of Hollywood history. Richard Burton presented it to Taylor as a wedding gift in 1964, two years after he had given her the pendant brooch for her 30th birthday. That earlier piece features a 23.46-carat rectangular-cut Colombian emerald surrounded by pear-shaped diamonds, and it could be attached to and detached from the necklace at will. The necklace showcases 16 graduated step-cut octagonal and square-cut Colombian emeralds totaling nearly 61 carats, framed by marquise-cut and pear-shaped diamonds in platinum.
Burton continued building the suite throughout their marriage. He added a ring in 1962, earrings after their 1964 wedding, and finally a bracelet in 1967. The complete collection was sold at Christie’s in December 2011 following Taylor’s death that year at age 79, with Bulgari acquiring the pieces to return them to their archives. The necklace alone commanded $6,130,500, while the pendant brooch fetched $6,578,500. The full suite totaled $23,260,500.
Kardashian’s connection to Taylor runs deeper than this single jewelry loan. “I was lucky enough to have a phone conversation with her about this piece,” Kardashian shared in her Instagram post. She also revealed that she had visited Taylor’s home shortly after the actress’s death. “When she passed away, I was brought into her home and shown her safe with all of her jewelry before they cleared it out. So I was able to see everything in her home and her jewelry still in her safe and all of her stuff still … her furniture … I was able to go in there like right after she passed.”
“I know that sounds insane,” she acknowledged.
That early access to Taylor’s personal effects helped cement a fascination that Kardashian has channeled into multiple projects. She released the documentary “Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar” in October 2025, exploring the life of the “Cleopatra” star. Beyond the glamour, Kardashian has cited Taylor’s humanitarian work as a particular inspiration for her own prison reform advocacy.
“She really, I think, was inspirational for me in fining my drive to want to help people that are in prison and prison reform work,” Kardashian shared of her muse.
For her own recent 46th birthday, Kardashian framed the jewelry moment as a kind of spiritual renewal. She told followers she could “start [her] year with this Elizabeth energy,” calling it “unapologetic personality.”
As she prepared to leave the Rome boutique, Kardashian hinted at making the vault visits an annual tradition. “I just got a little jolt of her energy,” she said, adding, “so I’ll see you in a year when I need a little re-up.”
The Rome fitting came as Kardashian launched promotion for “All’s Fair,” her upcoming legal drama series. The show marks her latest venture into scripted television following her reality TV origins and business empire built through Skims and other brands.
The Bulgari loan represents a convergence of Kardashian’s personal admiration, professional styling relationships, and the jeweler’s strategic hospitality toward a high-profile documentarian of their most famous client. Whether the “re-up” materializes depends on both Roach’s continued access and Bulgari’s willingness to repeat an arrangement they explicitly describe as irregular.
Kardashian’s “All’s Fair” press tour continues with scheduled appearances in London.