MANILA, Philippines - A ll of us prob-ably have one a wish list, that is. Or should we say, a Wish Liz. We can only wish we had all those diamonds that were Liz Taylor’s best friends. Perhaps you know that this Hollywood icon had seven husbands (she must have loved Richard Burton so much she married him twice). But did you know that Liz’s love affair with jewelry was quite legendary, too?
Liz amassed some of the world’s most dazzling collections. In her book My Love Affair with Jewelry — a glow-by-glow account of her priceless jewelry possessions — we learn that in her 30s, she already owned a most-coveted set of Burmese rubies, Cartier diamonds, a stunning emerald and diamond suite from Bulgari, and a 33.19-carat Krupp diamond from Richard Burton who lavished Liz with diamonds. Outdazzling that Krupp diamond was Richard’s subsequent gift, a 69.42-carat pear-shaped diamond, now named the Taylor-Burton Diamond, that earned for Liz a rare spot in the list of the world’s great jewelry collectors.
In her book, Liz dazzles us with heartwarming stories of her precious gems, like the case of the missing Peregrina pearl. She was pacing her room at the Caesar’s Palace wearing a dainty little chain on her neck on which was supposed to be dangling a pearl. But alas, it was gone! Frantically and very carefully, she retraced her steps in the bedroom, got down on her knees and looked everywhere for the pearl. Desperately, she thought, “What am I going to do? Richard will kill me! Because he loved that piece. Anything historic was important to him. This pearl is unique in the world of gems …” She looked and looked, and then she saw her innocent-looking white Pekingese and Richard’s orange-brown Pekingese who were munching on their food. She saw one chewing on a bone. But wait, she thought, “We don’t give our dogs, especially the puppies, bones! What is he chewing on?” Stifling a scream, she quietly went over and opened the puppy’s mouth and there, gleaming inside, was the most perfect pearl in the world!
Then there was Michael Jackson who loved gifting Liz with truly incredible jewelry. Liz and Michael shared a special friendship that was more precious than all the diamonds in the world. Once, Michael gave Liz the most exquisite titanium elephant evening bag. In return, Liz gave Michael a live elephant for his Neverland zoo. “I guess you can say we exchanged elephants,” says Liz with a sparkle in her violet eyes.
You can say that Liz led a charmed life. Among her charming possessions were a gold charm bracelet with 30 charms and a locket with engraved medallions for each of her precious children with their birthdays: Michael, Chris, Liza, and Maria.
Liz had her own private zoo, too — of jewelry, that is. Like her cultured pearl, diamond, and emerald lion bracelet; opal clamshell and diamond starfish pendant; The Night of the Iguana brooch; diamond, emerald, and gold serpent bangle watch; enamel, diamond, and ruby horse bangle bracelet; Art Nouveau plique-a-jour enamel and diamond butterfly brooch.
So, you see, in the jewelry department, nobody tried to outshine Liz. Even the Duchess of Windsor had a tough time deciding what jewelry to wear to her lunch with Liz. She whined, “Oh, no, I can’t wear that! Elizabeth’s diamond is much bigger. Give me the sapphire.”
An avid supporter of AIDS research, Liz so longed for the Duchess’ well-loved pin that was the insignia of Wales when her estate went on the auction block. She went for it and won the bid on the phone. The price: $623,000. Her delirious scream rang through the house. When her kids learned about it, they threw themselves in the swimming pool.
You can say Liz left behind a glowing legacy. Long live Queen Liz!