Like the famous Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, the Taylor-Burton Diamond was another of Richard Burton’s extravagant gifts to wife Elizabeth Taylor during their public and tumultuous marriages. It’s also the final famous diamond in our series.

Photo by Gianni Bozzacchi. Reprinted by permission.

The couple’s emotionally-charged private life often drew more attention than their movie roles, and their luxurious tastes, Taylor’s love for diamonds especially, were legendary.

The 69.42-carat diamond is a D-color, flawless, pear-shape with 58 facets and was graded by GIA. Following its discovery in South Africa in 1966, it was cut by Harry Winston and eventually sold to Cartier for $1.05 million in 1969. Burton purchased the diamond the very next day for an estimated $1.1 million (the exact amount has never been disclosed), Crowds lined the streets for the chance to catch a glimpse of the famous diamond before Burton picked up the gift for Taylor.

The expensive gift was just one of many exchanged between Taylor and Burton during their first marriage. Taylor originally wore the diamond in a ring, but eventually had it redesigned by Cartier into a necklace. During her ownership of the famous gem from 1969 to 1978, Elizabeth Taylor wore the beautiful necklace to the 1970 Academy Awards. She later sold the necklace and donated part of the proceeds to help fund a hospital in Botswana.

Main image courtesy of Mouawad.

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Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

The two gems were loved by Queen Mary, wife of King George V, In 1911, she had Cullinan III, a pear-shape drop of 94.40 carats, and Cullinan IV, a cushion-shape stone of 63.60 carats, mounted temporarily in a lattice-work setting and placed into her new crown made by Garrard for the coronation.

The following year, the Delhi Durbar Tiara was adapted to hold both stones. Cullinan III and IV were occasionally used as a pendant to the Coronation Necklace in place of the Lahore Diamond.

However, the stones were most often worn hooked together as a pendant brooch, which is why the brooch is typically referred to as “Granny’s Chips.” She wore the brooch to important family events, including her children’s weddings, the 1937 coronation of her son George VI, and her grandaughter Princess Elizabeth’s

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Chip Clark, Smithsonian Institution.

What is documented is the 1928 sale of the diamond. It is believed the diamond was found in South Africa in 1910 or 1912. One of America’s oldest and finest jewelers, Black, Starr & Frost fashioned it into a platinum choker studded with diamonds and sold it to actress and performer Peggy Hopkins Joyce. In 1951, Harry Winston acquired the diamond from Joyce and it traveled the country as part of Winston’s “Court of Jewels” exhibition, before landing at the Smithsonian as the largest faceted diamond in the National Gem Collection.

Some diamonds emit visible light – termed fluorescence – when exposed to invisible ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Blue is the most common fluorescent color and the Portuguese is a classic example of a blue fluorescent diamond referred to as an “overblue”. These diamonds of extremely strong fluorescence may exhibit a noticeable oily or hazy appearance when excited by any of a number of light sources, including daylight. This characteristic, combined with a VS1 clarity and unusual octagonal step cut, makes the Portuguese one of the world’s most famous gems.

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Jewelry designers have long been enchanted by the sea. It’s a subject rich in beauty, myth, and romance – all classic elements of fine jewelry.

The famed marine explorer, Jacques Cousteau, perfectly captures the allure of underwater life in his statement: “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”

This “net of wonder” is vast in size, capturing the artists’ imagination and transforming it into many mediums. Creative inspiration is found across the centuries in various art forms: from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, to 19^th century painter Renoir’s Still Life with Fish, to Pixar’s Finding Nemo.

The name of this diamond, ruby, black diamond and tourmaline piece, “Nemo,” tells the inspiration for jewelry artist Ricardo Basta. Image courtesy of Ricardo Basta.

A few facts help explain why the sea beckons the jewelry designer. Below the surface of the waves lies an underwater kingdom of more than 27,000 different species of fish. They range in size from the massive whale shark, which can grow to 50+ feet; to the tiny Timmatom nanus of the Indo-west Pacific, which is a mere one centimeter. This incredible diversity of life provides an endless source of inspiration.

Courtesy Vartanian & Sons

This sailfish brooch by Tiffany & Co. is made with pavé set diamonds, gold, and platinum. Superb craftsmanship and masterful enameling (notice the blues and greens on the fins and head) make this piece extremely lifelike. Courtesy Vartanian & Sons

Angelfish brooch is made of diamonds, blue sapphires, coral and gold. Image courtesy of Ricardo Basta

Another playful piece from Ricardo Basta, this Angelfish brooch is made of diamonds, blue sapphires, coral and gold. Weaving its way through a coral bed, the little fellow looks like he’s swimming happily through life.

Which of these might you like to reel in for your personal collection?

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The 245.35-carat Jubilee Diamond, discovered in the Jagersfontein Mine in 1895, is part of the Mouawad diamond collection.

The 650.80-carat rough stone was discovered at the Jagersfontein Mine in South Africa in 1895 and was originally called the Reitz Diamond, after Francis William Reitz, who was president of the Orange Free State where the diamond was uncovered. The diamond was cut and polished to its current size in 1896. Due to the stones size and purity, the diamond was originally planned to be presented to Queen Victoria, however that did not happen. It was, nevertheless, renamed in 1897 to honor the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Victoria.

The famous diamond changed hands in 1900, when Indian businessman Sir Dorabji Jamshedji Tata purchased the cushion-shaped diamond. The diamond was sold a few years after Dorabji’s death in 1932, and the proceeds, along with his entire fortune, funded the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust dedicated to advancing learning and research, relief work and other charitable purposes.

Learn about the The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, Cullinan II, Koh-i-noor and The Orlov, all part of our famous diamonds series.

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Wondering where to start in creating your jewelry wardrobe? GIA put together this list of 11 Peices of Jewelry Every Women Should Own. Jewelry essentials to ensure that you have the perfect accessory for any event. Click on the image below to see a larger view. Bookmark and share!

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The Napoleon Diamond Necklace, in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, is set with 260 carats of old-mine cut diamonds. – Chip Clark, Courtesy Smithsonian Institution

As with many famous diamonds in this series, this necklace has an illustrious past. After changing hands multiple times within the family, then-owner Archduchess Maria Theresa sent the necklace to the Unites States in 1929 to be sold for an asking price of $450,000. Her agents for the transaction, which included her financially-ruined grand-nephew, sold the necklace for $60,000, sending $7,270 to Maria Theresa and keeping the rest for “expenses related to the sale.” The courts eventually returned the necklace to Maria Theresa, her grand-nephew went to jail, and the co-conspirators disappeared, their true identities never uncovered.

The Habsburg family did eventually sell the necklace in 1948 to a private individual. Through various transactions it found its way to New York jeweler Harry Winston who sold it to Mrs. Marjorie Merriweather Post, who donated the necklace to the Smithsonian Institution in 1962. It can now be viewed at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

The necklace contains 234 colorless to near-coloress diamonds, the largest stone weighing approximately 10.40 carats. The diamonds have never been graded; however, infrared spectroscopy revealed that the majority of the significant diamonds are of the highest quality, demonstrating that the standards used 200 years ago to select the finest diamonds are similar to those still used today.

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Once destined for industrial use, low-quality rough diamonds were thought to have too many impurities or inclusions to be used in high-end rings, bracelets, and necklaces.  But today, these diamonds are making their way into luxury jewelry. So why the sudden interest?

Rough diamonds are fashionable in part because they are natural and unaltered. An additional factor in the rising popularity of rough diamonds is that they are generally less expensive than polished diamonds. In many cases, jewelry featuring colored rough diamonds provides a more affordable alternative to colored polished diamonds, which while very popular, are also very expensive.

Uncut diamonds are readily available in a rainbow of colors, as seen in these chandelier earrings from the “Astra” collection by Diamonds in the Rough. These stunning earrings feature 45.95 carats of rough diamonds ranging in color from dark brown to light yellow, accented with 1.97 carats of polished diamonds.

Jewelry with rough diamonds also has an artisanal look. Jewelry connoisseurs prize one-of-a-kind, handmade jewelry, and rough diamonds fit the part.

Designers are showcasing the natural beauty of the stones as they emerged from the earth, generally  untouched by human hand. Todd Reed, a designer who pioneered the style, made this provocative statement about diamonds: “the most perfect cut is still an uncut.”

This 20.25 carat diamond bracelet by Todd Reed looks edgy and ancient. The design is raw contemporary, yet the piece resembles a cobblestone road or a Roman fort.

Rough diamonds have become so popular that they’re showing up as center stones in engagement rings – traditionally the domain of polished, faceted beauties.

These modern engagement rings by Diamonds in the Rough have a contemporary design, yet the rough diamonds give them an ancient look. For the bride wanting a truly unique, one-of-a-kind ring, a rough diamond might be just the thing.

Diamond slices – thinly sliced sections of large, highly included rough diamonds – have also been making their way into jewelry. The idea, say designers who create these pieces, is to cut the rough to show interesting patterns while keeping the stone’s original outline. In the same way that the rarity of a diamond is a contributing factor to its cost, the more interesting the inclusions and their patterns are in a diamond slice, the higher the price.

A diamond slice hangs from an 18ct blackened white gold chain. Designer Susan Foster calls this slate-grey diamond slice design an “opulent finishing touch” for evening wear.

What seems to be sudden interest in rough diamonds is actually not new. Indian jewelers have long recognized the beauty of uncut gemstones. The tradition of using them is centuries old, and it still continues in modern design houses

So are rough diamonds a fashion fixture or a flash on the scene?

The green movement is growing. One-of-a-kind jewelry is in demand. Rough diamonds are affordable. Put these trends together, and the future for jewelry with rough diamonds is bright.

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We typically think of insects as pesky critters that make us squirm. Caterpillars, flies, and moths are not what many would consider the winners of Mother Nature’s beauty pageant.

But in the hands of imaginative jewelry designers, these creepy crawlers become majestic winged creatures dressed up in diamonds, rubies, pearls, and other spectacular gemstones. And just as a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, master jewelers take raw elements and transform them into wearable works of art.

Victorian (circa 1865) Egyptian revival scarab watch. Courtesy of Mona Nesseth and Michelle Laurenti

This Victorian (circa 1865) Egyptian revival scarab watch is crowned with a pharaoh’s head of carved carnelian and a headdress of green and blue enameled gold. It supports a pendant of an enameled scarab with ruby eyes and rubies and diamonds set in the wings. Press a button at the base and the wings open to reveal a small watch set in engraved gold. The underside of the scarab is also realistically engraved – the finishing touches of an exceptionally complex piece.

caterpillar made of pearls with ruby prolegs and diamond eyes. Gift of Avi Raz of and Pearls, Inc. (c) GIA & Tino Hammid

Creating a caterpillar out of pearls is a leap of creative genius. The body is one large freshwater pearl formed when four pearls grew together in an oyster. The caterpillar’s head is a medium-dark gray keshi pearl set with two full cut round brilliant diamonds for the eyes and nine bezel-set cabochon rubies for the prolegs. The leaf below the caterpillar is another freshwater cultured pearl; the gold leaf on the right has 27 round cut dark-green sapphires. This caterpillar is so beautiful that it doesn’t even need to turn into a butterfly.

‘Zen’ cicada brooch. Courtesy of Wallace Chan. Photo copyright Wallace Chan.

Wallace Chan’s one-of-a-kind ‘Zen’ cicada brooch is startlingly lifelike. Notice the hairs on the legs ; the veins on the hand-carved mother of pearl wings; the beautiful black opal head. Other painstaking touches by Chan include the ruby eyes and the diamond the cicada holds with its legs . The cicada has long been celebrated as the symbol of Zen in Chinese poetry. This cicada design, iconic to Wallace Chan, was inspired by a calligraphy artist from the Tang dynasty, who wrote a poem about the winged creature.

“Moth Enhancer” with Brazilian crystal opal body. Courtesy of Wallace Goldsmithing.

An Art Deco moth? Sounds strange, but it perfectly describes this design from Wallace Goldsmithing’s Opal Natural Wonders Collection. Layered yellow and white gold gives the “Moth Enhancer” an architectural feel. The angular lines of the wings make it look as if it were getting ready to take flight. The dazzling 25-carat Brazilian crystal opal body makes it look a bit surreal.

Tony Duquette’s ‘Fantastic Cicada’. Courtesy of the Anthony & Elizabeth Duquette Foundation for the Living Arts.

Hollywood set designer Tony Duquette brought an unmistakable theatrical flair to his “Fantastic Cicada.” The malachite body is dramatic. The unique use of enamel paint on the legs and dangling appendages showcase Duquette’s sensibility as a costume designer. Its sharp points and rough edges make it feel like this insect belongs in Little Shop of Horrors.

Praying mantis made from silver. Gift of Robert F. Officer.

This praying mantis is an especially unusual piece. The sculpture is a solid silver cast of a real praying mantis (a dead one was used to make the mold), making it an exact replica. The bottom wings showcase the ancient and difficult Japanese mokume gane technique , which involves welding thin layers of different metals together without solder and flux . The resulting wood grain appearance is the tell-tale sign of mokume gane. The upper wings were the artist’s inspiration. The finished piece looks like it could be out hunting for metallic prey.

Tony Duquette’s ‘Phoenix Spider’. Courtesy of the Anthony & Elizabeth Duquette Foundation for the Living Arts.

Although not technically an insect, we couldn’t resist adding this spectacular spider to the mix. .” This 1970s brooch features an ingenious use of enamel, accentuating the malachite body and pearled head and hanging pearl sack. This is no everyday arachnid: she is the queen of her realm, a goddess ready to feast or give birth to a new brood.

The fashion heroes of the insect world used to be the showy butterflies, ladybugs or dragonflies. What do you think about this latest cast of creatures? Would they have a place in your jewelry wardrobe?

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There is very little known about the origin of the famous gem, other than it may have originated in India before arriving at its current resting place–the Imperial Scepter, part of the crown jewels of Russia.

According to one legend recounted by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, the diamond was taken from the temple of Srirangam in Mysore. Some stories say that it had been stolen from the temple by a deserter of the French army in the 1700s. Others contend that it belonged to Nader Shah, king of Persia, and was stolen following his assassination in 1747.

The Orlov was said to have been pried from the eye of an idol in India in the 1700s by a deserter from the French army. – M. Nachinkin, courtesy RIA Novosti

Its documented history begins in 1774 when it was purchased by Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov as a gift for his lover, Empress Catherine II, otherwise known as Catherine the Great. While the gift was unsuccessful in maintaining Catherine’s affection for him, his name will forever be associated with one of the greatest diamonds in the world.

Because the diamond is mounted, it has not been accurately weighed. It is thought to be approximately 190 carats, and is now the centerpiece of the Imperial Scepter. As part of Russia’s Diamond Fund (which contains the tsarist regalia) in Moscow, it is one of the few crown jewels of Russia not sold off to support the country’s struggling economy post-1929.
Learn about the The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, Cullinan II, and Koh-i-noor, all part of our famous diamonds series.

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