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QVC Welcomes Tim Mendelson for the Elizabeth Taylor Jewelry Collection

by on ‎04-15-2015 01:15 PM

ET1


It is an absolute pleasure to join the QVC family with The Elizabeth Taylor Jewelry Collection.  I have truly enjoyed my first few shows and greatly look forward to many more.  Among the reasons that I am thrilled to be here is to carry out Elizabeth’s wishes as she left me in a perfect position to do so.  One of her greatest joys in life was a love of jewelry, but not everyone realizes that it was not just for her.  From the deepest part of her heart, Elizabeth wanted to make other people happy and sharing her jewelry with was always a part of her desire.  After she passed, her personal pieces went out into the world to be worn and enjoyed by others.  Now, we are finally able to expand her vision by offering Elizabeth Taylor inspired pieces to a larger audience.  That is what Elizabeth wanted and it is what we offer here.  By doing this we are also helping people.  25% of Elizabeth’s portion of sales benefits The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in order to continue her fight for people living with HIV/AIDS.


 


I think that at this point it is important to introduce myself.  I had the great pleasure and extraordinary experience of having worked at Elizabeth’s side for over 20 years and now serve as a Co-Trustee for her estate. The things I saw and experienced in Elizabeth’s life were beyond compare, but the greatest part of all was being with her.  We shared wild times and quiet ones too.  Jewelry was always present.  I learned everything I know about jewelry from Elizabeth and the many amazing jewelers who became close friends to both of us.  Elizabeth always talked about how lucky she was to have such beautiful jewelry, but I feel equally lucky to have shared the experience of being around so much legendary jewelry everyday.  I helped Elizabeth curate her collection, choose which pieces to wear, clean them, and generally bask in their sparkle.


 


People ask me all the time how I came into Elizabeth’s life.  I had a friend in high school named Melissa Rosenberg.  Her father was Edgar Rosenberg and her mother was Joan Rivers.  One afternoon while playing in their pool, Joan called me out and asked me to come inside to speak with her and her husband.  She asked some questions about me, what I wanted to do with my life and what I was going to do for the summer.  Based on my answers she offered to speak with Nolan Miller to see if he had a job for me.  I interviewed with Nolan and he hired me on the spot.  I spent the next year and a half shopping for fabrics he used for his creations.  This was in 1984 during the height of a television show called Dynasty.  During that time, Elizabeth Taylor returned to Los Angeles after her marriage to Senator John Warner and began working in film again.  Nolan’s dream came true with an opportunity to design for the one and only Elizabeth Taylor.  I went back to college and after I graduated got an internship at a film production company.  One day, I ran into a woman I had worked with at Nolan’s.  She was excited to see me and told me she was now working for Elizabeth full-time and needed help.  Most of you may be surprised to know that working on films can be slow and boring, but I’m sure it comes as no surprise that being in Elizabeth’s life was incredibly exciting every moment of everyday.  It was more like being in the middle of a movie.  I stayed to see what would happen and here I am today.


 


ET2


 


I miss Elizabeth greatly, but it is an honor to come to QVC on her behalf, and given my history with Joan Rivers and Nolan Miller, this collaboration seems meant to be.  


 


Thank you for taking the time to welcome me and I sincerely hope that I can make Elizabeth proud and the QVC viewer happy. Long live Elizabeth Taylor and may The Elizabeth Taylor Jewelry Collection live at QVC for a very long time.


 


Blessings,


 


Tim Mendelson