Wuthering Heights star Margot Robbie made a high-profile appearance at the Los Angeles premiere of Wuthering Heights on January 28, 2026, wearing a piece of jewellery that is centuries old. The heart-shaped Taj Mahal diamond necklace, valued at roughly $8.8 million, was a centrepiece of her look as she promoted her new film alongside co-star Jacob Elordi.
Her decision to wear the piece was a choice made with her stylist, Andrew Mukamal, to fit the moody and romantic themes of the movie. While the necklace is famously associated with Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor, its history actually goes back much further than the film industry, beginning with the royal families of 17th-century India.
From the Mughal Empire to India
The diamond first appeared in the early 1600s. It was originally owned by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, who had his wife’s name and the date 1037 AH (which roughly translates to the year 1627) carved into the stone in Persian. He eventually gave it to his son, Shah Jahan, the man who commissioned the building of the Taj Mahal.
Records indicate that Shah Jahan gave the diamond to his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Because of this connection, the stone became known as the Taj Mahal diamond. After she passed away, the jewel stayed with the royal family for a long time before it was looted by the French. It features a Persian inscription that translates to “Love is Everlasting,” which Robbie noted was a perfect fit for the “tempestuous love” story of Wuthering Heights.
The move to Hollywood
In the 20th century, the luxury jewellery house Cartier acquired the diamond. They replaced the original silk cord it hung from with a lavish gold and ruby chain. In 1972, actor Richard Burton bought the necklace as a 40th birthday gift for Elizabeth Taylor while they were on a trip to Budapest.
Burton famously joked that he wanted to buy her the actual Taj Mahal, but it was too difficult to transport, so he bought her the diamond instead. It became one of Taylor’s most recognizable pieces of jewelry. After her death, the necklace was sold at a 2011 auction for over $8.8 million, which was a record price at the time for Indian jewelry.
Reactions by Indians and the diaspora
While the necklace was a hit on the red carpet, its appearance has also started a conversation online regarding cultural heritage. Many netizens expressed outrage that the necklace was attributed to Elizabeth Taylor in the first place, when it’s heritage was deeply rooted in Indian history; it’s original owner, Empress Nur Jahan erased from it’s legacy.
“A chill ran down my spine. Elizabeth Taylor? The woman you colonizing pigs stole from, her name is still inscribed inside that heart! This is Nur Jahan’s necklace,” posted one user on X with 40k likes and counting.
Another user wrote, “margot wearing a necklace that originally was gifted to nur jahan, the wife of jahangir – the 4th mughal emperor. but guess what the articles say, apparently the necklace “found its way” to elizabeth taylor. mind you this has no way of “finding its way” to a white woman.”
Others discussed how Cartier, the jewellery brand that loaned out the piece to Robbie for the premiere has a problematic history of acquiring historical pieces instead of donating them to museums, where they rightfully belong. Furthermore, they previously refused musician and actor Diljit Dosanjh’s loan request to wear the Patiala necklace to the MET gala but had lent out the same to influencer Emma Chamberlain the previous year for the same event.
Many are labelling these events ‘racist’ and discussing the optics of Cartier consistently loaning historical jewellery to white celebrities. One X user, quoting a picture of the actress wearing the neck piece said, “Never forget how Cartier keeps giving stolen Indian jewellery to white celebrities, but when Diljit Dosanjh asked for the diamond necklace of Maharaja of Patiala, they refused.”
