Taj Mahal Diamond 

Rich with enduring romance, the Cartier Taj Mahal Diamond necklace stands as one of the most historically significant pieces in Elizabeth Taylor’s legendary collection. Gifted to Elizabeth by Richard Burton on her 40th birthday in 1972 during a Budapest getaway, the necklace, as legend has it, is steeped in centuries-old symbolism. The pendant's surface bears an inscription in Parsi that reads, “Love is Everlasting,” along with the name of Nur Jahan, the first woman to receive the jewel as a gift from her husband, Mughal Emperor Shah Jahangir. The diamond was passed down to their son, Shah Jahan, who gifted it to his most adored wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Four years later, when she died, the emperor commissioned the iconic Taj Mahal mausoleum as a tribute to her, which inspired the naming of the diamond. The piece remained in India until it was purchased as part of a collection by gemologist Rosemarie Kenmore, the assistant to the President of Cartier and wife of Robert Kenmore, chairman of the Kenton Corporation, of which Cartier, Inc. was a subsidiary. Cartier later sold the piece to Richard for Elizabeth — another couple whose legacy of love still lives on.