The diamonds and pearls with stories as big as their carats.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 15 November 2026
What is the Hope Diamond?
A deep blue diamond of about 45.5 carats, believed to have been cut from a larger stone that came from India and was sold to Louis XIV. It passed through royal and private hands, gathering a reputation for bad luck, before the jeweller Harry Winston gave it to the Smithsonian in Washington in 1958, sending it by ordinary registered mail. It is still on display there.
What is the Koh-i-Noor?
One of the most famous diamonds in the world, mined in India and owned over the centuries by Mughal, Persian, Afghan and Sikh rulers before passing to the British in 1849. It was recut to about 105.6 carats and is set in the crown made for the Queen Mother, kept with the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London. India, Pakistan and others have called for its return.
What was the Cullinan?
The largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, at about 3,106 carats, discovered in South Africa in 1905. It was cut into nine major stones. The biggest, the Great Star of Africa, at 530 carats, sits in the British Sovereign’s Sceptre.
Why is Elizabeth Taylor part of jewellery history?
Because she owned some of the greatest pieces of the 20th century, many given by Richard Burton: La Peregrina, a pearl once owned by Mary I of England; the 69-carat Taylor-Burton diamond; and the 33-carat Krupp diamond she wore every day. When her collection was sold at Christie’s in 2011, the jewels made more than $115 million, a record for a private collection at the time.
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