A huge pearl once worn by European royalty and last owned by Elizabeth Taylor sold for a record $11.84 million at a blockbuster auction in New York on Tuesday.

“La Peregrina,” depicted in art works over the centuries and coveted by kings and queens, was bought for Taylor by her actor husband Richard Burton in 1969.

The pear-shaped white pearl was a highlight of Christie’s sale of the legendary jewelry and fashion collections amassed by Taylor, the “Crown Jewels of Hollywood.”

Bonhams will auction off what is believed to be the world’s second-largest documented pearl, a five-pound gem found off the coast of the Philippines.

Dubbed the “Palawan Princess,” the gem is next to the 14-pound “Pearl of Allah” in size that was also found off the coastal waters of the Philippines.

The natural non-nacreous pearl was found in saltwater near the Philippines’ Palawan island and “bears an uncanny resemblance to a human brain”.

Jewels of Ocean is a world leader in fine jewelry’s design and craftsmanship.

Founded more than a century ago, it became, in the years, the leading distributor throughout Europe and worked tirelessly to deliver uncompromising excellence.

The company had direct relationships with mines in Colombia, Thailand, Burma, Ceylon and South Africa, and established its own prestigious line, designed and built by master jewelers working with rare diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds to create timeless collections that never go out of style.

Indian carpet made of pearls and gems today fetched a record $5.5 million at the first series of auctions held by Sotheby’s in the Gulf state of Qatar.

The 5-foot-8-inch by 8-foot-8-inch Pearl Carpet of Baroda had been commissioned in 1865 by the Maharajah of the former Indian state of Baroda, possibly as a gift for the tomb of the prophet Mohammed at Medina, said Sotheby’s.

The carpet, with more than 1 million natural Basra seed pearls, had never been offered before at auction and was expected to fetch at least $5 million, said Sotheby’s.

It took 10 years for Japanese jeweler Mikimoto to find just the right pearls for this necklace. The 18-inch-long strand is composed of 27 perfectly matched, perfectly round White South Sea pearls (extremely rare AAA quality cultured pearls 15.06 x 17.24 mm in diameter) and bears a “heart-stopping” luster, Mikimoto says.

The South Sea White cultured pearl is distinguished from all other pearls by its magnificent, satiny luster. MIKIMOTO South Sea White cultured pearls have a subdued, opalescent appearance which changes slightly under different light conditions.

This spectacular piece is complemented by a gorgeous art deco oval clasp with 11.92 carats of diamonds. It’s on sale for $1 million and available for a limited time at MIKIMOTO New York.