the taylor-burton diamond
You can’t have a list of famous diamonds and do not include the name of Elizabeth Taylor’s. Given to her by Richard Burton, this pear-shaped 69.42-carat diamond was originally owned by Harriet Ames, who felt it was too big to be worn in public. A problem Elizabeth’s character never had to face in her life. It was sold at auction to Robert Kenmore, owner of Cartier, for $1,050,00 and has since become known as the first million-dollar diamond. Burton purchased it from Cartier for an undisclosed amount to give to Taylor for her 40th birthday. Taylor initially wore the diamond as a necklace, but the stone was set in a ring by the time it appeared in an episode of Lucille Ball’s Here’s Lucy. After Taylor and Burton’s divorce, Taylor auctioned the diamond off for $5 million and used the money to build a hospital in Botswana.
