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The Taylor Burton
Diamond One of
the most famous diamonds in the world is associated with one of the most
notorious love affairs of the 20th Century. When Richard Burton and
Elizabeth Taylor fell madly in love during the filming of "Cleopatra" in
the 1960's, they created a media frenzy that was the first global
scandal in history. Richard gave Elizabeth some exquisite jewels during
their time together. The first was the 33.19-carat emerald cut Krupp
diamond that was set in a ring. Then came the magnificent La Peregrina
Pearl followed by a heart shaped diamond set with rubies in a pendant.
But the most publicized gift of jewelry he presented to her was the
69.42-carat pear shaped diamond that would eventually be named the
Taylor-Burton diamond.
The The famous Taylor-Burton diamond was cut by
the jeweler Harry Winston. Before Elizabeth Taylor, the diamond was
owned by Harriet Annenberg Ames. In 1978, the New York based jeweler,
Henry Lambert purchased it from Taylor by shelling out a huge amount of
$5,000,000. The present owner of this rare diamond has given a recut to
the stone which now weighs around 68.09 carats. Before the recut, the
Taylor-Burton diamond had a culet which has been made much smaller along
with a rounded outline in the girdle. The Taylor-Burton diamond is a
unique piece of diamond which is famous all over the world.
The original rough stone was found in the
Premier mine in 1966 and weighed 240.80 carats. It was originally
purchased by Harry Winston who brought it to New York for cutting. The
huge stone was studied for six months before it was marked and cleaved.
Once split, the larger piece weighing 162 carats was ultimately
fashioned into the pear shaped stone that would adorn the "most
beautiful woman in the world" Elizabeth Taylor. A highly publicized and
dramatic auction was held where among numerous bidders; Al Yugler of
Frank Pollack represented Richard Burton. When the price reached
$1,000,000, Yugler dropped out. The winner was Robert Kenmore of Cartier
paying the record price of $1,050,000.
Elizabeth first wore the gorgeous stone
publicly at Princess Grace's fortieth birthday party in Monaco. In 1978,
after Taylor and Burton divorced, she announced that she was selling the
diamond to finance the building of a hospital in Botswana. In June of
1979 Henry Lambert bought the Taylor-Burton for $5,000,000 and later
sold it to the present owner Robert Mouawad.
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more... (External Link)
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Information Summary...
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Largest Diamonds - The Taylor-Burton
