{"id":10308,"date":"2011-03-23T12:35:59","date_gmt":"2011-03-23T16:35:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/?p=10308"},"modified":"2016-10-04T21:07:26","modified_gmt":"2016-10-05T01:07:26","slug":"elizabeth-taylor-a-diamonds-best-friend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2011\/03\/elizabeth-taylor-a-diamonds-best-friend\/","title":{"rendered":"Elizabeth Taylor: A Diamond’s Best Friend"},"content":{"rendered":"

The world lost a screen goddess today: actress Elizabeth Taylor has died at the age of 79<\/a>. She lived an amazingly long life considering her myriad health problems<\/a>, which included a bout of pneumonia and an emergency tracheotomy in 1961<\/a>. Shortly after that crisis, Taylor won her first Academy Award for Best Actress<\/a> for her role as a call girl in 1960’s BUtterfield 8<\/a>. Shirley MacLaine, who was considered a front-runner for her role in The Apartment<\/a>, said, “I lost to a tracheotomy!” Liz herself hated BUtterfield 8 and thought she won due to the sympathy vote. She said of the successful film, “I still say it stinks<\/a>.” I have to disagree with her. Any movie with the line “Mama, face it. I was the slut of all time<\/a>,” simply can’t be bad. And when has anyone ever looked so sexy in a slip?<\/p>\n

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Liz lounges in BUtterfield 8.<\/p><\/div>\n

No one besides Taylor herself, who had previously sexed up a foundation garment in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof<\/a> (1958).<\/p>\n

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As a jewelry designer, I’ve always had a special love for Elizabeth because not only did she have a passion for jewels — she actually OWNED them! None of that business of borrowing stuff for special events and sending it back the next day like actresses do now — or, even worse, being paid cash to wear certain jewelers’ designs. One of Taylor’s most famous pieces was a 69.42-carat pear-shaped diamond that became known as the Taylor-Burton diamond<\/a> when it was purchased for Elizabeth by actor Richard Burton<\/a>, who was both her fifth and sixth husband. She wore it to the Oscars in 1970. Wearing an Edith Head dress that matched her eyes and accompanied by Burton, she epitomized red-carpet glamour. They don’t make ’em like this anymore.<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n