Auction house brings together Elvis Presley's 'lost' jewellery collection

Personal jewelry collection of Elvis Presley & Colonel Tom Parker at the Sunset Marquis Hotel, Hollywood, on July 28, 2022. PHOTO: REUTERS

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA (REUTERS) - Elvis Presley experts and historians have long known about a collection of jewellery the rock 'n' roll singer gave to his manager Colonel Tom Parker.

Both collectors and fans have spent decades searching for the items, which were thought to be lost.

Thanks to Ms Brigitte Kruse, founder and chief executive of GWS Auctions, who found and assembled the pieces, they can now be seen together for the first time.

Two hundred items, including gold rings encrusted with jewels, cufflinks, watches and chains, will go up for auction on Aug 27.

Also included is the guitar played by Presley during his famous "comeback" TV special of 1968.

Presley died in 1977 at 42, while Mr Parker died in 1997 at 87.

Presley's former wife Priscilla Presley worked with Ms Kruse on the collection, although Mrs Presley does not own any of pieces.

"Well, it brings back memories for sure," Mrs Presley, 77, told Reuters.

She added that it was a running joke with her former husband that he constantly bought or commissioned jewellery for Mr Parker because the manager already had everything he needed and the Presleys did not know what else to buy him.

Mrs Presley said she felt protective of the items because she designed some of them, including artefacts with the logo for TCB Band, the musicians who formed the core rhythm section of Presley's backing band in his later years.

"TCB"stood for "taking care of business", a favourite expression of Presley's.

Mrs Presley supported the auction in part because she was weary of seeing so many fake Elvis artefacts for sale.

"There is so much product out there that is not authentic at all and that worries me," she said.

"I want to know for sure that that is going to go to someone who is going to care for it, love it."

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