Actress Margot Robbie blew the dust off of an iconic jewel and donned Elizabeth Taylor’s famous “Taj Mahal” diamond at the Los Angeles premiere of “Wuthering Heights” Monday night, channeling one of Hollywood’s most famous real-life love stories in promoting her new gothic romance.
Margot Robbie at the world premiere of “Wuthering Heights” on Jan. 28, 2026.
WireImage
Key Takeaways
- Robbie wore a Schiaparelli couture gown paired with a heart-shaped diamond—set in a Cartier necklace—that was famously gifted to Taylor by her then-husband Richard Burton for her 40th birthday in 1972.
- The Taj Mahal diamond is mounted in jade and hangs from a custom gold, ruby and diamond chain fashioned by Cartier and meant to resemble the style of an original silk cord the diamond hung from when it was created for a Mughal emperor in the early 17th century.
- The pendant’s surface carries an inscription in Parsee, a dialect linked to the Persian language, that reportedly translates to “Love is Everlasting,” alongside the name of Nur Jahan, the first woman to receive the jewel as a gift from her husband.
- The diamond was last sold to an anonymous buyer in 2011 for $8.8 million—breaking records for Indian jewels at the time—as part of a larger auction of Taylor’s belongings that benefited the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
- Robbie also wore custom diamond earrings by jeweler-to-the-stars Lorraine Schwartz and a 19th Century ruby and diamond ring from Fred Leighton at Monday’s premiere.
Elizabeth Taylor wearing the Taj Mahal diamond in 1972.
Penske Media via Getty Images
Richard Burton photographed with the Taj Mahal diamond in 1972.
Mirrorpix via Getty Images
Tangent
Robbie and “Wuthering Heights” leading man Jacob Elordi have sported matching, custom signet rings on the press tour. London-based jeweler Cece Fein-Hughes, whose famous clients also include Taylor Swift, designed the gold rings featuring two skeletons entwined in the same pose as the actors on the film poster. The bones are surrounded by thorns and roses and the rings are inscribed with a quote by “Wuthering Heights” author Emily Brontë quote: “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” The initials of Cathy and Heathcliff, the stories, main characters, are featured alongside “1847-2026”— a nod to the year the book was published and the year of the new film’s release.
What To Watch For
The rest of Robbie’s “Wuthering Heights” promotional looks. The actress cemented her status as a fashion icon during the press run for “Barbie,” in which she channeled the doll’s most iconic moments in modern outfits, and her latest public appearances suggest she’s set to do the same with a string of gothic-inspired fashion moments. Robbie is working with the same stylist, Andrew Mukamal, who dressed her for “Barbie” red carpets.
Key Background
The iconic diamond was originally a gift from Mughal emperor Shah Jahangir, who ruled from 1605 to 1627, to his wife Nur Jahan, whose name is inscribed on the pendant’s surface. The diamond was then passed down to their son, Shah Jahan, who gifted it to his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. After her death, the emperor commissioned the white-marble Taj Mahal mausoleum in Agra, India as a tribute to her.
The monument inspired the naming of the diamond. The stone made its way to Cartier in the mid 20th century and was reportedly shown to Burton by Cartier president Michael Thomas in 1972. He purchased it and later surprised Taylor with it on a trip to Budapest for her birthday. The diamond was sold in 20211 as part of a record-breaking auction for the most expensive private collection of jewelry and for the highest value jewelry sale in auction history.
After the diamond sold, the anonymous buyer alleged the stone was not actually from the Mughal period, despite bearing the name of a Mughal emperor’s wife, and demanded the sale be canceled. Christies’ auction house reportedly agreed to cancel the sale even though the age of the diamond had never been guaranteed and the current, private owner remains undisclosed following the legal battle.
Big Number
£380,000. That’s how much Burton reportedly paid for the Taj Mahal diamond, equivalent to about $1 million at the time.
Crucial Quote
“I set out to buy the Taj Mahal for my wife’s 40th birthday,” Burton told reporters in 1974, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Finding it difficult to buy the Taj, I bought this diamond for her instead. Elizabeth went over it with a magnifying glass…. She liked it.”
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