Margot Robbie's Heart-Shaped Taj Mahal Necklace Carries the Weight of History

At the Los Angeles premiere of Wuthering Heights, Margot Robbie stepped onto the red carpet wearing a piece of jewellery that immediately eclipsed the usual couture chatter. It was not new, not bespoke, and not designed for the moment. Instead, it was one of the most storied jewels in modern history: Elizabeth Taylor’s heart-shaped Taj Mahal diamond necklace. 

Almost overnight, the necklace resurfaced in public conversation, ricocheting across Instagram, fashion media, and cultural commentary. What people were reacting to was not just its beauty, but the weight of history it carries. 

The Mughal Origins of the Taj Mahal Diamond Necklace 

The Taj Mahal diamond is traditionally believed to date back to the Mughal Empire in the early 17th century. Long associated with Empress Nur Jahan, one of the most influential women of the Mughal court, the heart-shaped diamond is said to have been commissioned or owned during the reign of Emperor Jahangir. 

Over time, the stone became linked to the imperial household and, by association, to Shah Jahan, Jahangir’s son. While the jewel’s precise passage through the Mughal court cannot be conclusively traced through surviving records, its symbolism has endured through centuries of retelling. 

Following the death of Shah Jahan’s wife, Mumtaz Mahal, in 1631, the emperor commissioned the Taj Mahal in Agra as a mausoleum in her memory. Through this association, the diamond came to be known as the Taj Mahal diamond, its name inseparable from one of the world’s most enduring monuments to love and grief. 

How Cartier Transformed the Taj Mahal Diamond Necklace 

Centuries later, the diamond entered the European jewellery world. By the 20th century, it had come into the possession of Cartier, which transformed the historic stone into a necklace suited to modern high jewellery. The heart-shaped diamond was mounted in jade and suspended from a custom gold chain set with rubies and diamonds. 

A Parsi inscription was added, reading “Love is Everlasting,” alongside the name of Nur Jahan, anchoring the piece to its Indian origins even as it was reframed for a new context. 

Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Taj Mahal Necklace 

In 1972, the necklace found its most famous owner. Richard Burton purchased the Taj Mahal diamond necklace from Cartier as a gift for Elizabeth Taylor’s 40th birthday. Burton famously joked that he would have bought her the actual Taj Mahal if transporting it had been possible. 

Taylor wore the necklace often, cementing it as part of her personal mythology. It became one of the defining pieces of her jewellery collection, inseparable from her image and from her famously intense relationship with Burton. When Taylor’s estate was auctioned in 2011, the necklace sold for $8.8 million, setting a record at the time for Indian jewellery at auction. 

A jewel shaped by empire, romance, and remembrance, the Taj Mahal diamond necklace reminds us that the most enduring luxury is not novelty but legacy.