Jewelry and love – 2 themes that most women will find fascinating don’t you think? My mind has also been revolving around this lately and I sat down to compile some stories that I thought might be fun to share in our jewelry loving community. What we discover is that most important jewelry pieces that you see holds a story that is meaningful to the owner (in history and present). When it comes to jewelry as a gift, it becomes a symbol of love to both the parties. There’s something deeper about the sparkling gems being pieced together that holds together the threads of love and affection.
It’s certainly interesting how jewelry gift-giving has been a part of love and romance through history. Something so peaceful about holding tangible pieces as a symbol of love makes you feel closer to your loved one.
Now, some of these romantic expressions widely recognized in Hollywood are:
Elizabeth Taylor:
Honestly speaking, I could go on and on about the beautiful pieces of jewellery that Elizabeth Taylor was gifted by her husband Richard Burton and it would take pages to list just that. Here I will write about the ones that is reflective of the historic significance of jewellery:
The Taj Mahal Diamond:
This name of this piece itself helps us realise its importance. This Diamond pendant was gifted to Elizabeth Taylor by her husband Richard Burton on the occasion of her 40th birthday. This diamond is believed to have been once owned by Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor who made Taj Mahal for his wife (honestly, he set a bar too high for any other man to follow). The diamond was first a gift from Shah Jahangir (Shah Jahan’s Father) to his wife Nur Jahan, whose name is inscribed on the piece. If not Taj Mahal, a symbolic representation in the form of jewelry does set a near mark to the bar set, doesn’t it?
The Krupp Diamond:
In 1968, Richard Burton again gifted his then-wife, Elizabeth Taylor the most chemically pure diamond with the best optical transparency. The 33.19-carat diamond was owned by a woman named Vera Krupp, hence the name. This was stolen from Krupp in 1959, however, the guilty were caught and it was returned to her in the same year. Burton bought it in an auction in 1968 after her death.
Taylor-Burton Diamond:
Photo by Gianni Bozzacchi.
This particular diamond, named under the names of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton was 69.42 carats when they purchased it. The piece was originally a ring when it dawned on Taylor that it was too heavy for it. Thus, they custom-made it onto a necklace to cover her scar from surgery.
We talked so much about romantic love but jewellery is equally important in other relationships too. In the Oscars of 1999, Gwyneth Paltrow wore a diamond necklace when she won the best actress for her role in Shakespeare in Love. She loved her diamond necklace so much that her parents bought the diamond necklace for her after it was returned to Harry Winston.
David and Victoria Beckham:
Do you know that David has gifted his wife Victoria Beckham 14 different engagement rings till now? The couple has been married for 19 years now and David still puts his heart at it when it comes to gifts for his lover. In the Valentine’s day of 2006, David gifted Victoria a custom design Y-shaped diamond and pear-cut ruby necklace that cost him $8million to make.
On that note, this year’s month of love ‘February’ is almost to its end. Did you introduce any new jewelry into your collection as a symbol of love? I’d love to see what you got!
Love,
Kajal