by beckysnyder

Elizabeth Taylor: A Legacy of Grace, Gratitude and Glamour

Academy Award winning English-born American Actress, Elizabeth Taylor took her final leave yesterday, March 23, 2011. Reportedly a result of congestive heart failure, Taylor passed while surrounded by her four children at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Following the tragic loss of his legendary Mother, Taylor’s Son Michael Wilding released the statement, “My Mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts.”

Elizabeth Rosemond “Liz” Taylor will be fondly remembered by her children, close friends (Elton John was among the most publically distraught over the loss of his great friend.) and in the hearts of fans world-wide for her extraordinary grace and generosity, humanitarian work and AIDS activism.

With bright violet eyes and an on-screen presence that captured the hearts of film audiences, critics and eventually, eight different husbands, Liz Taylor embodied the strength, beauty and selflessness of a true icon.

We will celebrate the gift of Elizabeth Taylor‘s life in a glamorous remembrance. While the sensational actress was expressively fond of  extraordinary jewelry, diamonds and sapphires, she somehow managed to escape such claims of materialism or superficiality. As far as Hollywood is concerned, this may be the last time such a success is made. Perhaps it was her qualities of ultimate grace and sincerity that she was not made to endure the media ridicule we see today among celebrities sporting ellaborate jewels.

Behind her famously worn 33.19 carat Krupp Diamond ring and the 69.42 carat  Taylor-Burton Diamond, cut by Harry Winston and adorned in a diamond-adorned Cartier necklace, lies one of the greatest love stories of the 20th century.

Twice-married husband and lover of over 20 years, Richard Burton had purchased both for his love, Miss Elizabeth Taylor. In reference to the Taylor-Burton diamond, regarded as the world’s first million-dollar diamond and often coined ‘the Taj-Mahal,’ Richard Burton said, “I would have liked to buy her the Taj-Mahal.”

There was a genuine once-in-a-lifetime love between Burton and Taylor. Their 20-years and two marriages together were full of great challenges, turbulance, passion, jealousy and infatuation. Last year Elizabeth Taylor spoke of her relationship with Richard Burton in an interview with Vanity Fair.

Among revealing a selection of love letters she’d received from him through the years, Miss Taylor offered a glimpse into their love affair, “Richard was magnificent in every sense of the word. From those first moments in Rome [on the set of Cleopatra] we were always madly and powerfully in love.” She continued to wear the Kruppdiamond ring he had given her in 1968, sporting the spectacular stone in her 2003 interview with Larry King.

In 1978, Elizabeth Taylor had the Taylor-Burton diamond auctioned for ,000,000, using the proceeds to build a state-of-the-art hospital in Botswana, Southern Africa. Recognized for her advocacy in Aids research, Elizabeth Taylor was awarded theJean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1993.

The American Foundation for AIDS Research, for which Taylor was a longtime advocate, made the following statement in response to the news of her death, “She leaves a monumental legacy that has improved and extended millions of lives and will enrich countless more for generations to come.”

In honorable memory, dedicate an hour or two to celebrate the iconic beauty of Miss Elizabeth Taylor. Her violet eyes are accented with Bvlgari jewelry in the 1973 film, “Ash Wednesday,” where you can catch a glimpse of her 50 carat sapphire ‘sautoir’ (necklace and pendant) and the sugarloaf sapphire ring by one of her favorite jewelry designers. Taylor wears a pair of classic natural pearl earrings in the film, also by Bvlgari. The Academy-Award winning Actress notably enjoyed wearing her own jewels in movies, and did so more than any other actress. Read about the backlash one Director received when he tried to hault such indepence in personal appearance in Liz Taylor’s book, “My Love Affair With Jewelry.”

*Courtesy of the Raymond Lee Jewelers Blog*

Liz Taylor
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