Margot Robbie turned heads at the Wuthering Heights premiere on Wednesday, arriving in a show-stopping Schiaparelli couture gown — but it was a legendary diamond once owned by Elizabeth Taylor that truly stole the spotlight.
The Oscar-nominated actress, 35, accessorized her look with Taylor’s famed Taj Mahal diamond necklace, reportedly valued at $8 million. The piece was gifted to Taylor by her fifth husband, Richard Burton, for her 40th birthday more than five decades ago, and remains one of the most recognizable treasures from her extraordinary jewellery collection.
That necklace represents just a fraction of Taylor’s glittering archive, which fetched a staggering $137 million at auction following her death in 2011. So where are those iconic gems now?
Several heritage houses — including Cartier and Bulgari — reacquired pieces at auction, while others were snapped up by private collectors. Some of those jewels still make red carpet appearances, loaned to A-listers for high-profile events.
Taylor famously adored her collection and didn’t keep it hidden away. Photographer Catherine Opie once revealed that the star would often admire and rearrange her jewels during sleepless nights, treating them as art to be appreciated rather than treasures to be locked up.
The Taj Mahal diamond itself carries an intriguing backstory. It was long believed to have belonged to Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who commissioned the Taj Mahal in India. When Burton presented the gem in 1972, he joked that he would have bought the monument itself if it weren’t so costly to transport.
The necklace sold for $8.8 million at a 2011 New York auction, though the sale was later contested over questions about its imperial provenance. After legal back-and-forth, the dispute was settled and the jewel was slated to return to auction.
Among Burton’s other lavish gifts was the 69.4-carat Taylor-Burton diamond, now owned by Robert Mouawad and unseen publicly since 1979. He also purchased a striking emerald necklace from Bulgari, which the brand later bought back and has since loaned to stars including Julianne Moore.
Another historic gem in Taylor’s collection was La Peregrina Pearl — discovered in the 16th century and once part of the Spanish Crown Jewels. It sold for $11.8 million and now resides in a private collection.
A ruby-and-diamond necklace from Cartier, originally given to Taylor by her third husband Mike Todd, was repurchased by the brand for $3.8 million. Taylor once described it as glowing “like the sun.”
The Krupp diamond — later renamed the Elizabeth Taylor diamond — was acquired by South Korea’s E-Land Group for $8.8 million, setting a record price per carat for a colorless diamond at the time.
Taylor’s jewels continue to surface at fashion’s biggest moments. In 2024, Kim Kardashian wore Taylor’s chandelier earrings, on loan from designer Lorraine Schwartz, to Paris Fashion Week while attending a Balenciaga show. The earrings were originally a gift from Todd in 1957 and are estimated to be worth around $400,000.
Taylor herself became a screen legend after rising to fame as a child actress in the 1940s, later cementing her status with iconic roles including Cleopatra. In 1999, the American Film Institute named her the seventh-greatest female screen legend.
She passed away in 2011 at age 79 from congestive heart failure, but her legacy — and her remarkable collection — lives on.
In addition to her jewels, Taylor amassed designer fashion, accessories, furniture, and memorabilia throughout her life. In 2019, Julien’s Auctions teamed up with House of Taylor for a multi-day sale celebrating her legacy, offering film costumes and pieces from luxury designers such as Christian Dior, Edith Head, Gucci, and Oscar de la Renta.
Decades after her heyday, Taylor’s diamonds are still dazzling — and as Robbie’s red carpet moment proved, they remain as captivating as ever.
