Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair With Jewelry - Rilegato

Taylor, Elizabeth; Taylor, John Bigelow

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0743236645 ISBN 13: 9780743236645

Casa editrice: Simon & Schuster, 2002

Riassunto

"Here, in my own words and as I remember them, are my cherished stories about a lifetime of fun and love and laughter...I've never thought of my jewelry as trophies. I'm here to take care of it and to love it, for we are only temporary custodians of beauty."

--Elizabeth Taylor

She has mesmerized movie audiences since her debut in National Velvet at the age of twelve, dazzled both men and women with her luminous beauty and iconic presence, displayed shrewd business acumen by creating a line of fragrances with unparalleled success, and her AIDS activism has been a call to arms for people around the world. She is Hollywood's greatest living star and a living legendElizabeth Taylor.

One of her greatest passions is jewelry, and over the years she has amassed one of the world's foremost collections. By the time she was in her thirties, Elizabeth Taylor already owned an outstanding set of Burmese rubies and diamonds from Cartier, a fantastic emerald and diamond suite from Bulgari, and the 33.19-carat Krupp diamond, a gift from Richard Burton. That ring was later eclipsed by a subsequent gift from Burton, when he bought a staggering 69.42-carat pear-shaped diamond. Newly named the Taylor-Burton Diamond, it catapulted Elizabeth Taylor into that rarefied pantheon of great jewelry collectors.

In this revealing book, Elizabeth Taylor offers a personal guided tour of her collection. She takes us into her confidence, sharing personal anecdotes, witty asides, and intimate reminiscences about her life, her loves, and her collection. Whether talking about the famous La Peregrina pearl, which was briefly abducted by a household pet, or chatting about a childhood gift to her mother, Elizabeth Taylor shows herself to be the most seductive of storytellers: direct, irreverent, and charming.

Complementing the stories are 125 stunning new photographs of her most remarkable pieces, specially commissioned for this book, and more than 150 rarely seen images (many from Elizabeth Taylor's personal collection) of the star wearing her jewelry over the course of almost sixty years. We see her as a young ingenue of fifteen wearing what would be the first of many charm bracelets, and again, equally dazzling, as a mature woman, wearing the famous Duchess of Windsor diamond brooch, which she purchased to benefit AIDS research.

Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry marks the first time this beautiful jewelry will be seen together as a collection. Lavishly produced and illustrated, the book has an introduction by the world-renowned authority on jewelry, François Curiel, of Christie's. It is for those who are enchanted by this most incandescent and enduring star, for those who cherish and dream of jewelry, and most importantly, for those who believe in the true meaning of love. This book is a fabulous display of unbelievable glamour, assembled over a lifetime, by one of the most extraordinary women in the world.

Su questo libro

L'autore:

Dame Elizabeth Taylor is the star of more than fifty-five films, among them National Velvet, A Place in the Sun, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Butterfield 8, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and Cleopatra. For nearly two decades, she has been a leader in AIDS activism, including her founding role in the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmfAR), and establishment of The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF). She has also been an extraordinarily successful businesswoman with her bestselling line of fragrances. The recipient of numerous honors and awards, she was made a Dame of the British Empire in the year 2000. In 1987, France bestowed upon her its most prestigious award, the Legion d'Honneur, and in 2001 President Clinton recognized her with the Presidential Citizen's Medal. She has won two Academy Awards for Best Actress, and in 1993 she received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for her work on behalf of AIDS. She also received the BAFTA Fellowship from the British Academy of Film and Television Ails, as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute. Elizabeth Taylor lives in Bel-Air, California. She has four children, ten grandchildren, and one greatgrandchild...so far.

Estratto. © Riproduzione autorizzata. Diritti riservati.:

A CHARMED LIFE

"I never cared whether or not I was an actress, especially when I was a very little girl. I was born in England, and we had a lodge on my godfather's estate. And I had my horse, which I had to leave behind when we came to America. The happiest days of my childhood were in England because I rode -- that's where I learned to ride bareback -- and took ballet lessons. I wanted to be a ballerina, so I was enrolled in the same school that the young princesses attended. At the age of three I was picked out to be in a performance for the Royal family. Every year there was a command performance. The child with the highest marks from each class was chosen to do a solo. And guess what? That year I was it! I was so enthralled by the applause that I couldn't stop doing my butterfly curtsy and taking a peek through my hair at the Royal box. They were all laughing and smiling. I would not get off the stage. After many whispered hisses of 'Elizabeth, get off,' from the wings, I eventually relinquished my place at the center of the stage and the warmth and glow of the audience that started me off I guess has never left me.

"Years later, after we had moved to America and settled in Beverly Hills, my father got me an audition for Lassie Come Home because of my English accent. So I just talked to the dog -- 'Poor Lassie. Poor girl.' And I got the part. Then MGM signed me up for eighteen years. I had a great imagination, and I just slid into being an actress. It was a piece of cake. But mostly, when I was first acting, I just liked playing with the dogs and the horses. Riding a horse gave me a sense of freedom and abandon, because I was so controlled by my parents and the studio when I was a child that when I was on a horse we could do whatever we wanted. Riding a horse was my way of getting away from people telling me what to do and when to do it and how to do it. And if I was a good little girl I would be rewarded...by receiving another script. On the other hand, by the age of fifteen -- or whenever this picture was taken -- I really did have a new love in my life: jewelry. And I've been loyal to that love ever since."

Copyright © 2002 by Interplanet Productions Limited

My Ice Skating Rink

"By now people know about the Krupp diamond that Richard bought for me, but my darling Mike gave me a magnificent 29.4-carat ring when we got engaged. I used to call it my 'ice skating rink.' Even then, back in the late 1950s, people would stop me and ask me about my jewelry -- they still do, as a matter of fact -- and sometimes they've even asked to try it on, which I love.

"Toward the end of 1957, Mike and I had been on this crazy junket promoting Around the World in 80 Days, and our last stop was in Russia. We were on a tour in one of the great museums and we had this darling Russian guide with beautiful gray hair, and he was dressed in a perfectly matching gray suit. He was showing us the painting and sculpture galleries, and the jewelry, which was my main interest. When we came out of the museum, my diamond ring (which I had to sell years later) was sparkling away in the sunshine, and this dear man couldn't take his eyes off it. He looked at me and said, 'I mean no offense, madam, but a stone of that beauty should be in a museum, where everyone can see it.' 'You know,' I answered, 'I disagree with you. When I wear it, anyone can look at it, and I'll let anybody try it on. So more people have probably touched this stone, seen the beauty in the pure sunshine or when it sparkles at night. Anyone who is around me can see it up close. Isn't that better than putting it in a museum? How many people in a museum can actually take a rock of this size out of a case and put it on their finger? Besides, I take care of it. It's a part of me while I have it, and I'm there to protect it and insure it.' At that moment he finally understood what I meant. Then I asked whether he wanted to try it on."

Copyright © 2002 by Interplanet Productions Limited

IT'S TUESDAY, I LOVE YOU

"I can't deny that Richard gave me some spectacular gifts on birthdays and Christmas, but in truth he was so romantic that he'd use any excuse to give me a piece of jewelry. He'd give me 'It's Tuesday, I love you' presents. 'It's a beautiful day' presents. 'Let's go for a walk, I want to buy you something' presents. Over the years I've come to think of these as my 'It's Tuesday, I love you' jewelry. And I never knew when he would come up with the most extraordinary ring or something very sweet and simple."

Copyright © 2002 by Interplanet Productions Limited

When in Rome...Go Shopping!

"Undeniably, one of the biggest advantages to working on Cleopatra in Rome was Bulgari's nice little shop. I used to visit Gianni Bulgari in the afternoons and we'd sit in what he called the 'money room' and swap stories. He had a whole section of antique silver and gold samovars and huge tea sets and other bits for fine homes. And the jewelry? The exclusive crème de la crème pieces were tucked away in a small room.

"One day Richard said, 'I want to buy you a present. I feel like buying you a present.' And I said, 'Wow! What did we do today that you...that's amazing! Where? Where shall we go?' 'Bulgari, of course,' he said. 'Now Elizabeth, I am handling this and I would prefer if you would control yourself,' because I tend to get a little high-strung. 'My love,' I cooed, 'I promise whatever you give me will go straight to my heart like an arrow. Whatever you pick out for me.' Again, the Welsh baritone: 'Just be in a good mood.'

"So we went to Bulgari's back room, and Richard said to Gianni, who's now properly seated behind this rather formal desk, 'I want to buy Elizabeth a present but it cannot exceed $100,000.' Gianni smiled, went over to the safe, and brought out a pair of rather small -- I mean very small -- earrings. Richard and I looked at each other and sort of chuckled, 'You've got to be joking.' Gianni replied modestly, 'I thought you said $100,000.' Well, we did! 'So,' he said, with this little flourish of his hands and a shrug of his shoulders, 'that's $100,000.'

"'Try again,' Richard suggested. Gianni opened another drawer in the safe and a little chunk of green flame came out. He opened another drawer and this time a giant green flame leapt out! Then a third drawer. This time we were blinded by a blaze of white. And it was diamonds. 'Gianni,' Richard said, 'what kind of game are you playing with us?' Gianni became very apologetic: 'You are right. These are way too expensive. I am so sorry. These are over your budget and I can't let you see them.' 'Oh come on, Gianni. Be a sport.'

"Of course Gianni was playing with us. He brought out a ruby and diamond necklace. I had never seen anything like it in my life, and by that time I already had the beautiful Cartier rubies from Mike. But this necklace was huge, with the most enormous stones. 'How much?' Richard asked. I didn't even dare put it on. Again Richard asked the price. 'Over a million dollars.' Richard sort of looked down, and mumbled 'No, no, no.' 'OK, I have a lesser piece,' and this time he brought out emeralds. We simply gasped, and I thought, 'Oh my God! I've got to have the emeralds.' Gianni was so smart, because he didn't just show us one piece, he showed us two different sets to choose from. The smaller of the two necklaces had a pendant that could also be worn as a brooch. So I tried them on, the huge one, then the smaller one, then the huge one, then the smaller one -- the $100,000 limit was out the window. But I reasoned with Richard, 'You see, love, you can detach the pendant and wear it as a pin, so it's really like getting two pieces for the price of one!' We saw how beautiful it was both ways. The big diamonds around the brooch were 10 carats each.

"By this time we had been joined by Bob, who was one of Richard's and my dearest friends and who had been Richard's dresser for I don't know how long. Bob was a very elegant, tall, Savile Row-dressed black man, who held himself with such perfect dignity. Richard turned to him and asked, 'Bob, what do you think?' because by now Richard was in a 'whatever you want' mood. We'd gone too far to turn back. I remember Bob looked at both necklaces and said he couldn't decide, either. Finally, I tried them each on one more time, and I said, 'Richard, you know, I think I like the smaller one.' With that, Bob turned to Richard, shot him this look of, oh boy! and said, 'Mr. B., you can't hardly get girls like that no more!'"

Copyright © 2002 by Interplanet Productions Limited

LA PEREGRINA

"I was doing a film in Las Vegas, and when Richard wasn't working he was always in a black, grouchy mood. He had just bought the Peregrina at auction, and Ward Landrigan of Sotheby's had it flown out to us from New York. It was hanging from a very beautiful, little tiny pearl-and-platinum-chain necklace. I loved putting it around my neck and feeling it dangle. The pearl was so tactile, I couldn't stop rubbing it.

"The history of this totally natural, totally real pearl is unbelievable. When we got the Peregrina we also received a booklet with the story of the pearl and its family tree and a list of all the people who had owned it. It was just incredible. It had been discovered by a slave sometime in the 1500s. He got his freedom because of it and his owner made out pretty well, too. It ended up as part of the Spanish royal jewels, and along the way Prince Philip II of Spain gave it to Mary Tudor of England as an engagement present.

"Not long after I received the pearl, we saw a portrait of Mary Queen of Scots and that's when I decided how I wanted it set. So we took pictures of the painting to Cartier to have them design a setting. The choker part was in the painting, so we took that aspect of it. Both the larger and the smal...

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Simon & Schuster
• Data di pubblicazione: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0743236645
• ISBN 13: 9780743236645
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 240
• Redattore: Peltason Ruth A.