While promoting her new tumultuous love story onscreen, Margot Robbie paid homage to one of Hollywood’s most passionate romances.
The Australian actress just rocked Elizabeth Taylor’s famed Taj Mahal Diamond at the Los Angeles premiere of Wuthering Heights on Wednesday. The massive heart-shaped sparkler, set in a Cartier necklace, was a gift from Hollywood legend’s then-husband Richard Burton for her 40th birthday in 1972.
The Taj Mahal Diamond, mounted in a striking, custom gold, ruby, and diamond chain, is inscribed with the words “Love Is Everlasting,” according to Vogue. It also bears the name of Nur Jahan, who first owned the dazzler; her husband, the Mughal Emperor Shah Janangir, gave it to her as gift. From there, the gem passed hands to their son, Shah Jahan, who gifted it to his wife, too. Upon her death, the emperor called for the Taj Mahal to be built in her honor—hence where the famed diamond gets its name.

A close-up of the famed diamond
Eventually, the Taj Mahal Diamond landed in the hands of Cartier, who wrapped the gem in its current chain. The maison’s president Michael Thomas personally showed the piece off to Burton and Taylor in 1972 before they jetted off on vacation; Burton, who secretly snagged the diamond, surprised Taylor with it during their travels in Budapest. The actor reportedly paid nearly $1 million at the time for the gem, according to Forbes.
In its most recent sale, the diamond hit the auction block back in 2011 via Christie’s sale of the icon’s estate, where it sold for a whopping $8.8 million, breaking records for a piece of Indian jewelry at the time. The piece was sold to an anonymous buyer; now, of course, it’s made its way back into the limelight.

Richard Burton in Budapest, with the famed Taja Mahal diamond.
Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images
As for the movie itself, Robbie stars as Catherine Earnshaw, while Jacob Elordi (also a fan of Cartier, donning plenty of white-gold pieces from the jeweler on the red carpet) plays Heathcliff in the Emerald Fennell-directed flick, which is a bold, vibrant (and loose) adaptation of the famed novel by Emily Brontë. Robbie is definitely leaning into the book’s gothic tones during the press run, donning plenty of black lace, and, at this premiere in particular, a striking black-and-red gown from Schiaparelli. All the action will hit the big screen on February 13, just in time to celebrate your own love story for Valentine’s Day.
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Nicole Hoey
Digital Editor
Nicole Hoey is Robb Report’s digital editor. While studying at Boston University, she read, wrote and read some more as an English and journalism major. A class taught by a Boston Globe copy editor…


