A 69.42-carat pear-shaped African diamond, known as the Taylor-Burton, is one of the most famous gems in the world. In 1969 it brought together Cartier and the two famous actors who lent it their names, Elizabeth Taylor and her husband, Richard Burton.
In 1966, a rough diamond weighing 240.80 carats was found in the depths of South Africa’s Premier mine. From it a lapidary cut a 69.42- pear-shaped stone of dazzling shimmer and unique sparkle, which caught Elizabeth Taylor’s eye. Her husband, Richard Burton, learned in 1969 that it was about to be sold, and sent an agent to the auction: the bids mounted higher and higher until the diamond was finally bought—by Cartier. Four days later, however, Burton and Cartier came to a deal: the jeweler agreed to sell the diamond to the actor in exchange for authorization to display it in the New York and Chicago boutiques.
Several thousand people thronged to see it, while the Cartier workshop was already at work devising the necklace from which the diamond would hang. Liz Taylor wore it on many occasions, notably the party held in November 1969 at the Hermitage Hotel to celebrate the fortieth birthday of Princess Grace of Monaco, and again the following year for the 42nd Academy Awards ceremony. Taylor sold the diamond in 1978 to help pay for the construction of a hospital in Botswana.
