in the mistaken belief that the pearl had once belonged to her, even though La Peregrina was first recorded in 1579, 21 years after Mary's death. The pearl shown in Mary I portraits is The Tudor Pearl'', which is 53.57 grains larger than La Peregrina. After the purchase of a painting, the Burtons discovered that the British National Portrait Gallery did not have an original painting of Mary, so they donated their recent acquisition to the Gallery. Taylor commissioned Cartier to re-design the necklace, setting La Peregrina with pearls, diamonds, and rubies. In 2005, Taylor lent it to the Smithsonian Institution for its "The Allure of Pearls" exhibition. In December 2011, the pearl sold for a record price of more than $11 million (£7.1m). La Peregrina was sold as part of Elizabeth Taylor's collection, which was being auctioned at Christie's in New York. It was sold mounted on the diamond Cartier necklace. Its value had been estimated at $3 million, but the bidding vastly exceeded the estimate and reached $10.5 million - increasing to more than $11 million once the various fees were factored in. References Individual necklaces Individual pearls Elizabeth Taylor