During the world premiere of her latest film, Wuthering Heights, actress Margot Robbie stole the spotlight when she hit the red carpet the night of January 28th (Wednesday). She attended the event with co-star Jacob Elordi; at the time, Margot wore a breathtaking Schiaparelli gown. Although Margot's gown was beautiful, it paled in comparison to Elizabeth Taylor's Taj Mahal necklace. The neckpiece worth $8 million (Rs. 74 crore) was reportedly borrowed specifically for the occasion. Margot’s choice in jewellery was a nod to old Hollywood glamour and classic love stories.
Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor’s fifth husband, gifted her this heart-shaped diamond Necklace in commemoration of her 40th birthday. They met while filming Cleopatra together in Rome in 1962, both of them married at that time. Their love story turned out to be one of the most talked about and publicized in Hollywood history.
Elizabeth Taylor’s Taj Mahal necklace carries a historic Mughal legacy. The table-cut heart-shaped diamond features a Parsi inscription reading: "Love Is Everlasting” along with the name of Nur Jahan. Historians believe the Emperor Jahangir gave his to his wife Nur Jahan. Then, later passed it down to their son, Shah Jahan, who is reputed to have given it to his wife Mumtaz. Therefore, since its connection to the Mughal Empire, the diamond is now commonly referred to as the ''Taj Mahal Diamond."
In 1971, the historic diamond was purchased by Cartier. The luxury French jewellery designer embellished the diamond with red gemstones and table-cut diamonds and then mounted it on jade and hung it from a traditional Indian silk cord. Later, Cartier's in-house designer Alfred Durante remade the piece into two types of pieces: one was made of braided gold and rubies to emulate the shape of the silk cord. The other consisted of the original piece's design featuring rondelles, an adjustable slide and decorative tassels on the back.
Michael Thomas, the President of Cartier, introduced this incredible necklace to Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in 1972 in the Kennedy International Airport’s hotel. At a lavish birthday in Budapest, while filming Bluebeard, Richard Burton surprised her with this fabulous necklace as a gift.
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