Elizabeth

Most people don't see jewelry as jewelry. Jewelry is an accessory or three, four, or six that we add to our outfits. Some jewelry is more that an accessory. Certain pieces have a long history and value all their own. They're a status symbol, similar to owning the crown or buying an exclusive island. The "La Peregrina pearl" is one example of such jewelry. It's undoubtedly the most famous pearl on the planet , and was sold in the year 2000 at an auction for $11.8 million. A large portion of that record-breaking cost of sale could have to do with the most recent owner of the pearl who was an Oscar-winning actress Elizabeth Taylor. However, La Peregrina was famous before it was the home of one of the most famous people in America and its intriguing history is what makes the journey to the hands of Elizabeth Taylor even more dramatic.The pearl that would become known as "La Peregrina," meaning "the Wanderer" or "the Pilgrim," was found by an enslaved African that was forced to work in the waters of the island of Santa Margarita in the Gulf of Panama at around the mid-16th century.