Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but for Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor they were a lifelong passion that could now strike gold for the AIDS sufferers she championed. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds and pearls — many of them given to Taylor by her two-time husband Richard Burton during their stormy romance — are among the 269 jewels up for auction in December following the death in March of the legendary film actress. Some of the most jaw-dropping gems are now on an international tour ahead of the sale that auctioneer Christie's expects to bring in more than $30 million. Another $20 million could be raised from some of Taylor's iconic gowns and film memorabilia. A portion of the proceeds from exhibitions, events and publications related to the auction will go to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation that was started in 1991. But what Christie's experts call “the Liz factor” — the lore surrounding her glamorous Hollywood lifestyle — could blow those pre-sale estimates sky high. “This collection is unlike anything we have offered before. It is a window on Elizabeth Taylor's life,” Christie's America chairman Marc Porter told reporters on Monday ahead of the four
