Kim Kardashian may have received the ultimate Elizabeth Taylor dress-up session for her birthday, but the Hollywood icon's goddaughter just reminded everyone that her children got there first.
Victoria Brynner shared photographs she took in 2011 of her children casually wearing pieces from Taylor's legendary jewellery collection. Among the treasures was the same Bulgari emerald-and-diamond necklace Kardashian had tried on in Rome just one day before Brynner's post.
The timing and Brynner's caption did not escape Reddit. 'It's funny when objects that you know so well from people who were so close to you end up being discussed in the news a lot.'
Was Brynner throwing shade or simply shining a light on a sparkly memory? That's the mystery surrounding a $12 million necklace that the internet was trying to decode.
Elizabeth Taylor's Goddaughter Had the Jewels Before They Went to Auction
Brynner, the daughter of Yul and Doris Brynner and Taylor's goddaughter, explained that she photographed her children wearing the pieces in 2011. 'These were amazing pieces, and I was lucky enough in 2011 to photograph my children wearing them,' she wrote, ending her caption with, 'Elizabeth Taylor forever.'
The photographs certainly weren't short on sparkle. Her children were photographed wearing a massive ring, a tiara, and Taylor's famous Bulgari emerald-and-diamond necklace, complete with its enormous detachable pendant.
One particularly large diamond ring appears to be Taylor's 33.19-carat Krupp diamond, a gift from Richard Burton that later became known as the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond.
The pictures were taken before Taylor's jewellery went under the hammer at Christie's that December. Her Bulgari necklace sold for $6.13 million, while its detachable emerald pendant brought in another $6.58 million. Together, the 2 pieces Kardashian recently tried on fetched more than $12.7 million, while Taylor's entire Bulgari Emerald Suite sold for nearly $24.8 million. Bulgari ultimately brought the emerald treasures back into its own archive.
One response to Brynner's post gave Redditors even more reason to wonder whether the impeccably timed throwback contained a tiny bit of side-eye.
'I much prefer to see them in this situation... GORGEOUS,' one commenter wrote beneath the photographs. Brynner responded with a kiss emoji.
Reddit swiftly picked up the magnifying glass. One user called the post less shade and more of a 'these were mine once' flex, while another pointed out that Brynner never actually claimed ownership of the jewels. Others saw nothing pointed about the post at all, noting that Kardashian herself liked it. If there was shade, it was probably cast by an awfully large emerald.
Law Roach Gave Kim Kardashian One Expensive Birthday Surprise
Kardashian's photo-op with Taylor's jewels came courtesy of stylist Law Roach, who arranged a private visit to Bulgari in Rome during the reality star's All's Fair press tour.
The surprise was Roach's birthday present to Kardashian, who turned 46 in October. Bulgari pulled Taylor's famous necklace from its archive for the occasion, something described as unprecedented in Kardashian's Instagram video.
The reality star was understandably floored. 'Best birthday present ever,' she told Roach over FaceTime.
The necklace carries plenty of Hollywood romance with all those carats. Richard Burton gave Taylor the Bulgari necklace as a wedding gift in 1964, while its 23.46-carat Colombian emerald pendant had been an engagement present in 1962. The pendant could be detached or suspended from the necklace.
Kardashian also has her own history with Taylor. She previously spoke with the actress and has said she was allowed inside Taylor's home where she saw the star's jewellery before it was cleared out. More recently, Kardashian executive-produced the 2025 docuseries Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar.
That makes Kardashian's excitement over finally wearing the necklace very much on-brand. Brynner's photographs, meanwhile, offered a very domestic look at the same multimillion-dollar jewels: sitting around the necks of children in ordinary T-shirts rather than posing beneath red-carpet lights.
Was her post actually shade? Brynner never said so, and Kardashian liking it hardly screams jewellery-box warfare. Still, the internet noticed the timing, the comment, and that little kiss emoji. Maybe the emeralds aren't the only things capable of throwing a little shade.
