The Taylor-Burton Diamond

  Elizabeth Taylor’s fifth husband, Richard Burton, gave her a pear-shaped 69.42-carat diamond. The diamond, which became referred to as the Taylor-Burton Diamond, has a lot of history. The diamond was discovered in the Premier Mine, it then weighed 240.80 carats. Harry Winston had it sent to New York and he later had it cleaved. The enormous diamond was cut into two diamonds, one was pear-shaped. In 1967, Mrs. Harriet Annenberg Ames purchased the pear-shaped diamond. After owning the diamond for some time, she decided to auction it because she thought it was useless sitting in her bank vault. Parke-Bernet Galleries in New York auctioned the diamond on October 23, 1969 under the condition that the buyer could name the diamond. Bidding started at $200,000 and ended at $1,050,000; the bidder who won the diamond was Robert Kenmore, he was the Chairman of the Bored of Kenmore, the owners of Cartier Inc. The diamond was then called the Cartier. However, Richard Burton came very close to winning, his assistant was at the auction since he could not make it. His highest bid was $1,000,000 and he was still determined to purchase the diamond. Burton negotiated with Kenmore and bought the diamond under one condition, Cartier could display it in Chicago and New York. The diamond was then named the Taylor-Burton. After Taylor and Burton’s divorce in 1978, she sold the Taylor-Burton to Henry Lambert in 1979. Lambert was a New York Jeweler and purchased the diamond for $5,000,000; he then sold it to Robert Mouawad, the current owner. Soon after Mouawad purchased the Taylor-Burton Diamond he had it cut; it now weighs 68.09 carats.