Diamonds & Sapphires
Elizabeth Taylor (1993)

Diamonds & Sapphires smells sparkling and lovely. It reminds me of a clear blue sky at the end of summer and beginning of fall. The fragrance lasts with you all day, and gets many compliments. It is definitely a classy fragrance. Although an eau de toilette, it wears like an eau de parfum. I love all three of the "Diamonds &" fragrances. It's too bad they are discontinuing them. I would purchase them all every once in awhile. I suppose I had better stock up now before the online retailers' stock runs out (and you'll end up paying $300 per bottle on e-Bay when supply is running low. A+ for all three versions!

Among all the perfumes in Elizabeth Taylor's Diamonds series, Diamonds & Sapphires strikes me as the most pleasant and memorable.

* Top notes: Melon, Freesia, Galbanum, Peach, Lily-of-the-Valley
* Heart Notes: Rhubarb, Jasmine, Spices, Ylang Ylang, Rose
* Base Notes: Sandalwood, Amber, Musk, Vetiver

D&S has a very pleasant blend of tanginess and subtle fruits. Jasmine and rose round out the endurance of the perfume with a classy, distinct freshness that is supported so nicely by the sandal, amber, and clean vetiver in the base.

Love this scent on a lady, and I'm glad that bottles of this can still be easily obtained even after it was discontinued.

While D & S starts out promising-- a spring green, cheerful white floral-- it quickly takes a nosedive into sharp, aquatic territory that reads very much like so many generic marine-themed candles. That's where it stays for hours.

Recommended only if you love sharp aquatic/clean laundry type scents.

Really sheer ylang-ylang dominant concoction with a short evolution waving from an initial citrusy floral sticky aroma to a woody ambery ylang-ylang/lily/jasmine accord passing through a middle phase in which the main floral note (ylang-ylang in my opinion) appears (as well as does the note of tuberose in Miller Harris Noix de Tubereuse) almost mellow, almondy and vanillic before to slightly restrain its carnal vibe. There are some spices in the blend and there is a constant citrusy feel till the end (combined with the floral bouquet in a way which conjures me slightly the citrusy/floral Very Estee's sharper harmony) which does not deny the somewhat balmy and enveloping general atmosphere (unlike the Estee Lauder's one which remains basically sharp all the way). Yes, i detect something vaguely clinical in the combination (expecially along the first fresh/indolic/grassy-floral stage) which anyway does never take the scene as dominant default. The Diamonds&Sapphires's aroma is extremely feminine and almost erotic but lacks originality and the lush subtle and complicated elegance of a classic masterpiece.

I remember trying all three of the series -- Diamonds with Rubies, Diamonds with Emeralds, and Diamonds with Sapphires. However, Diamonds with Sapphires was my favorite of the three. Rubies was unmemorable to me. Emeralds smelled like baby oil/bath beads -- oily and heavy -- a character I detest. But Diamonds with Sapphires smelled "fresh" and almost aquatic.

Unfortunately, this review is only from memory, as I haven't sampled this scent in years. As it's discontinued, I don't know if any vintage bottles left may have turned bad. (Can something be considered "vintage" if it's only been < 20 years since it's been made?)

Very sophisticated, I don't usually like fruity frags too much, but on my skin, the freesia is most prominent