Taylor Swift’s ‘Elizabeth Taylor’ Video Puts Jewelry Front and Center

The music video for Taylor Swift’s song “Elizabeth Taylor,” released this week, is a montage of on- and off-screen clips of the Hollywood icon, many of which feature opulent jewelry. The screenshot pictured shows the actress in a scene from 1968’s “Boom!” (Screenshot courtesy of @TaylorSwift YouTube channel)

New York—Taylor Swift’s new music video for her song, “Elizabeth Taylor,” is a tribute to the actress, activist, and jewelry connoisseur.

The song, track 2 on Swift’s 12th album “The Life of a Showgirl,” explores themes of love and fame, taking inspiration from Taylor’s glamorous and scandalous life in the public eye at the height of her fame.

The video is a montage composed entirely of clips of Taylor, including scenes from films she starred in such as “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (1958) and “Cleopatra” (1963), as well as archival footage from her real-life outings and public appearances.

Pieces from her extravagant jewelry collection can be seen throughout the video, including the diamond tiara she received as a gift from her third husband, producer Mike Todd, whom she was married to from 1957 until his death in a plane crash in 1958.

When Christie’s held its massive sale of Taylor’s estate in December 2011, the tiara sold for more than $4 million, blowing away its pre-sale estimate of $80,000.

Perhaps the most striking jewelry moment in the music video comes during the song’s bridge.

When Swift sings “all my white diamonds and lovers are forever,” the video cuts to a close-up of a large diamond ring on Taylor’s left hand and later zooms out to reveal an equally flashy diamond bracelet.

The scene is from the 1968 film “Boom!”

Though the ring bears a resemblance to the 29.4-carat emerald-cut diamond engagement ring Todd gave her in 1956, she was never seen wearing it after his death, so the on-screen jewel might have been borrowed for the film, according to jewelry historian and author Marion Fasel.

Fasel did her own story on the jewelry in the “Elizabeth Taylor” video on her Substack, The Adventurine. 

Interestingly, one of the most famous white diamonds in Taylor’s collection—the 69.42-carat pear-shape diamond Richard Burton gifted her in 1969, later known as the “Taylor-Burton” diamond—does not appear in the video.

Had it been up to Fasel, she would have slotted in a clip of Taylor wearing the diamond while presenting the “Best Picture” award at the 1970 Oscars.

“There’s video of that, and it’s gorgeous,” she said. “To me, that would have been the obvious choice.”

Another clip not included in “Elizabeth Taylor,” to Fasel’s surprise, is the popular video of Todd giving Taylor a suite of Cartier ruby and diamond jewelry while on vacation. In the footage, she proceeds to put it on and go for a swim.

However, the suite does make a cameo, aptly synced with the lyrics, “I would trade the Cartier for someone to trust.” 

The music video, which Swift does not appear in at all, is a departure from the highly theatrical productions the singer/songwriter is known for.

Fasel said the montage concept thrilled her.

“Elizabeth Taylor has been a beacon in my career from the beginning. I always say, as an American jewelry historian, we don’t have royalty. We have Hollywood,” she said.

Parallels can be drawn between the two performers, and it is easy to see why Swift may have found a muse in Taylor for her showgirl-themed album.

However, while Swift, also a jewelry lover, likes to embed clues via her looks for her fans, Taylor’s approach was much simpler.

“I think that there was one overall message for Elizabeth Taylor with her jewelry, and that was simply the glamour of Hollywood,” Fasel said.

“She loved [jewelry] in the true sense of a person who is just passionate about the beauty of jewelry, but she also shared it in the way that she shared her life with us, her fans, to whatever degree. In the same way that Taylor Swift, shares, to whatever degree she’s going to share, with us about her life.”

Fasel continued, “I think that they view that as their responsibility. It is their job. I think that’s how Taylor [Swift] views it, and I think that’s how Elizabeth Taylor viewed it: It is my job to be glamorous. You expect that of me. That’s my role as a movie star, on screen and off.”

Originally released on Apple and Spotify only, the “Elizabeth Taylor” music video is now available to view on YouTube.