Elizabeth Taylor’s Executive Assistant Speaks About Actress’ Iconic Gems

Elizabeth Taylor will forever be known as Hollywood’s queen of love, a woman who adored romance just as much as she adored diamonds. Tim Mendelson, who worked closely with her for over two decades until her death, says love was the guiding force in her life.

“Love was her overriding factor for everything,” Tim, Taylor’s executive assistant from 1990 till she died in 2011, recalls during a conversation with PEOPLE. 

“She was extremely passionate and also very compassionate. She did love love, and I think ultimately the role that she wanted more than anything in the world was to be a wife, which is kind of funny because she was just so huge, and so iconic, and really so queen-like,” he added.

With her regal presence and effortless glamour, Elizabeth was larger than life. But when it came to love, she craved the simple joys — sweet words, unexpected gestures, and, of course, dazzling gifts. Jewelry was her ultimate love language, as Tim recalls, “Jewelry was an appropriate gift for Elizabeth any day of the week, any time of year.”

Her greatest love, Richard Burton, understood this better than anyone. While he showered her with extravagant gifts, he preferred to surprise her on ordinary days rather than expected occasions. 

“Richard Burton preferred not to give her big gifts when she was going to expect it, like Valentine’s Day or her birthday. He loved to do this thing, she talked about how he’d be like, ‘It’s Tuesday. I love you. Surprise!’” Tim shares. 

But the actor still knew how to make a statement — like in 1969, when he gifted her the legendary La Peregrina Pearl, a treasure once owned by Spanish royalty, as a Valentine’s Day present.

Elizabeth’s appreciation for jewelry went beyond its sparkle. “She saw herself as this temporary custodian of these pieces,” Tim says, adding, “So many of her pieces had been famous before she received them, and then would go on, and be famous after she was gone. But they had a longer life than mere mortals.”

But jewelry wasn’t just for romance — her friends knew how much she cherished it, too. “We all knew that Elizabeth loved jewelry more than anything, in terms of gifts. Friends of hers, like Michael Jackson, loved to give her jewelry,” Tim remembers. 

Despite her wealth and status, Elizabeth wasn’t pretentious about gifts. “It wasn’t only the very expensive pieces, or expensive things. We’d all make ourselves crazy trying to give her something that she’d really value. But what she valued most was the thought behind it…It really was the symbolism behind them. So when somebody would go out, and just pick out something really pretty that had something to do with her, that showed some kind of thought, she really appreciated that,” Tim stated.