Richard Burton Buys Elizabeth Taylor 70-Carat Diamond

• Given to: Elizabeth Taylor
• From: Richard Burton
• When: 1968
• Estimated Value: Sold in 1979 for $5 million

Discovered in 1966 at the Premier Mine in South Africa, the rough diamond — eventually cut into the Taylor-Burton Diamond — at one time weighed an astonishing 240.80 carats (approximately the same weight as eight nickels).

Cut by Harry Winston into a more manageable 69.42 carats, the gemstone made its way into the hands of Richard Burton, who purchased it from Cartier in 1969 for $1.1 million at public auction. Burton's wife, Elizabeth Taylor, was first seen wearing the bauble on a necklace at Princess Grace's 40th birthday party.

After Burton and Taylor were divorced for the second time, Taylor sold the diamond for $5 million to build a hospital in Botswana.

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