Some diamonds are famous for crowns and curses. The Taylor-Burton Diamond is famous for love and Hollywood. A flawless, pear-shaped stone of 69.42 carats, it became one of the most talked-about jewels of the 20th century thanks to the two stars whose names it carries.
From a South African mine
The diamond was cut from a roughly 241-carat rough stone found at the Premier Mine in South Africa in the 1960s. Cutters shaped it into a flawless pear of 69.42 carats with the top "D" color grade — technically about as perfect as a diamond gets.
The Hollywood bidding war
When the diamond went to auction in 1969, the jeweler Cartier won it — but only briefly. Richard Burton, determined to buy it for Elizabeth Taylor, negotiated the stone away in a deal that made headlines worldwide. The price set records and turned the gem into a symbol of one of Hollywood’s most famous romances.
Taylor first wore it as a ring, then had it reset as a necklace because the stone was simply too large to wear comfortably on a finger.
A diamond in the spotlight
Elizabeth Taylor wore the diamond at high-profile events, including the Academy Awards, and it became almost as recognizable as the actress herself. Few jewels have ever been so closely tied to a single celebrity, and its appearances kept it in magazines and newsreels for years.
Sold for a cause
After her relationship with Burton ended, Taylor sold the diamond in 1978. She reportedly used part of the proceeds to help fund a hospital in Botswana — a final chapter that gave the glamorous stone a lasting good deed.
- Weight
- 69.42 carats
- Shape / color
- Pear, D color, flawless
- Source
- Premier Mine, South Africa
- Famous owner
- Elizabeth Taylor
- Bought by
- Richard Burton (1969)
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The takeaway
The Taylor-Burton Diamond shows how a stone’s story can be written in spotlights rather than centuries. Flawless, enormous, and bound to a legendary romance, it became one of the most famous diamonds of modern times — and ended its star turn by helping build a hospital half a world away.
At a glance
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Weight | 69.42 carats originally; about 68 carats after recutting |
| Shape | Pear |
| Rough | 240.80 carats, Premier Mine, South Africa, 1966 |
| 1969 auction | About $1.05 million, won by Cartier |
| Sold by Taylor | 1978 |
Frequently asked questions
How much did Richard Burton pay for the Taylor–Burton diamond?
Cartier won the stone at auction for about $1,050,000 in October 1969; Burton bought it from Cartier the next day for a higher, undisclosed-at-the-time sum widely reported at about $1.1 million.
Why did Elizabeth Taylor sell the diamond?
After her second divorce from Burton, she sold it in 1978 and used part of the proceeds to fund a hospital in Botswana.
Where is the Taylor–Burton diamond now?
It has been in private hands since the 1970s and was reported to have been recut to about 68 carats.
Was the Taylor–Burton the first million-dollar diamond?
It was the first diamond to sell for more than $1 million at auction.
Sources and further reading
- Taylor–Burton Diamond — Wikipedia
Links checked September 14, 2026.
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