The Hollywood lore behind Jennifer Tilly‘s Schlumberger Night of the Iguana brooch that she donned in her updo at the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion needs its moment.
During part two of the RHOBH reunion, Jennifer Tilly joined the cast and Andy Cohen on the reunion stage. Bravo TV‘s executive producer and host gave the one-of-a-kind Flato Cole Porter necklace its well-deserved spotlight …
… but we need to talk about the historic brooch Jennifer wore in her updo at her first reunion.
A history lesson courtesy of The Adventurine:
The online jewelry magazine posted the following to their Instagram story. “Reviewing the Flato Cole Porter necklace while wearing the Schlumberger Night of the Iguana brooch in her hair! THERE IS ONLY ONE, Jennifer Tilly!”
“Jennifer Tilly graciously loaned her Night of the Iguana brooch to my 2021 Beautiful Creatures exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History,” added the online source.
And for a Hollywood history lesson … they asked, “Who besides Jennifer Tilly owned and wore a Schlumberger Night of the Iguana in her hair?”
“Elizabeth Taylor!”
Jennifer Tilly is that girl. #realhousewivesofbeverlyhills #jennifertilly 📸The Adventurine pic.twitter.com/JZScylje0e
— Taste of Reality (@TasteOf_Reality) April 10, 2025
The brooch:
Designed by Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co., Night of the Iguana is a diamond, sapphire, and emerald “dolphin” brooch.
The circular-cut diamond body with polished 18k gold scales, features a pavé-set diamond. There are gold tail and fins complimenting the polished gold head. It is accented by cabochon sapphire eyes and a calibré-cut emerald mouth, extending polished gold whiskers. In 1964, it was mounted in 18k gold and platinum with French exportation marks and maker’s mark.
Hollywood history:
It was given to Elizabeth Taylor by Richard Burton, for the premiere of his film “The Night of the Iguana” in 1964. The film is an adaptation of the play by Tennessee Williams.
The film was shot in the small town of Mismaloya in Puerto Vallarta Mexico. La Jolla de Mismaloya, the hotel where the film was shot. It now has a restaurant called “Night of the Iguana Set Restaurant” (Noche de la Iguana), utilizing the set that served as Maxine Faulk’s (Ava Gardner) hotel in the film.
When Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry collection was auctioned at Christie’s in 2011, the brooch sold for $1.2 million, per The Jewelry Editor.
