Printed from Woolley & Wallis

Description

A carved ruby and diamond set ring, the oval-shape ruby has carved foliate decoration and is set in a surround of round brilliant-cut diamonds and two larger diamonds in gold. Gilt metal shank. Size R, but expands.

This ring was made for Elizabeth Taylor when she starred in the Franco Zeffirelli film Young Toscanini in 1988. She was cast as the opera diva Nadina Bulichoff.

Accompanied with the book Franco Zeffirelli Complete Works.

On page 465 Elizabeth Taylor can be seen wearing the carved ruby and diamond ring and is talking to Zeffirelli.

Accompanied with a postcard of Elizabeth Taylor with a note to the reverse from Tom Rand dated September 2016 saying, "In 1988 I was asked by Franco Zeffirelli to design the costumes for his forthcoming film Young Toscanini. C Thomas Howell was to play the conductor and Elizabeth Taylor was to play an Opera Diva, the mistress of the Emperor of Brazil. A true story. After a performance of Aiola in the 1870s the Emperor sent the singer a bouquet of roses with a ruby ring hidden within. Knowing Elizabeth Taylor's love of jewels, Zeffirelli though it would be amusing for the ring not be the paste reproduction I was planning to do, but to be a ruby and diamond ring. A Roman jeweller made the ring. At the end of the film the ring was given to Elizabeth. What she actually wanted, and she always got what she wanted, particularly jewels, was a pair of costume earrings which I had made in London. So she gave me the diamond and ruby ring in exchange for the earrings which remained in her collection of "costume jewels" for the rest of her life. Both the earrings and the ring are in the photograph".