Where Are All of Elizabeth Taylor's Engagement Rings?

In addition to being an award-winning actress and prominent activist, Elizabeth Taylor was known for her romantic relationships. Over the course of her life, she was engaged 10 times—and married eight. The star was well known for her extensive jewelry collection, which included some of her famous engagement rings. Following her death in 2011, Christie's oversaw an auction of many of her pieces. Purchases from the sale totaled just under $116 million, breaking the record for a private jewelry collection sold at auction.

Taylor received her first engagement ring from William D. Pawley Jr. in 1949 and her last from Larry Fortensky in 1991. However, while her former fiancés and husbands often proposed with sapphire or diamond rings, two of her partners opted not to when they popped the question. Eddie Fisher, who married the actress on May 12, 1959, gifted her a 50-diamond bracelet in lieu of a ring, and Taylor's most well-known partner, Richard Burton, also didn't include a ring with his proposal. Instead of asking her to marry him with a diamond, the actor popped the question with an emerald Bulgari brooch. However, during their 10-year marriage, Burton gave his wife one of the world's most sought-after jewels, the Krupp diamond, which the actress often wore as a wedding ring.

Below, we break down everything you need to know about Elizabeth Taylor's engagement rings, including where all of them are today. Read on for more.

Where Is Elizabeth Taylor's Cushion-Cut Diamond Engagement Ring From William D. Pawley Jr.?

At the age of 17, Taylor became engaged to William D. Pawley Jr., the son of the former U.S. Ambassador to Brazil and Peru. The pilot proposed to the rising star in 1949 with a cushion-cut diamond. While the two had a whirlwind romance, they ultimately split before saying “I do.” “They parted when Elizabeth continued making movies instead of becoming Bill's homemaker,” said Howard Lange, a friend of Pawley, according to the Daily Mail.

So, where did that engagement ring end up? While it’s unclear where the sparkler is now (it wasn't included in her jewelry auction), if the actress opted to return it to her former fiancé, it’s likely he decided to sell it. After Taylor’s death in 2011, Pawley sold her love letters to him for $48,645.

Where Is Elizabeth Taylor's Four-Carat Diamond Engagement Ring From Conrad Hilton Jr.?

After meeting at a Los Angeles nightclub in 1949, Taylor married Conrad Hilton Jr. in an elaborate wedding on May 6, 1950, at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. The heir to the hotel conglomerate proposed to the star with a four-carat diamond ring set in platinum. However, just eight months later, the duo divorced. In court, Taylor said that Hilton had been "indifferent to me and used abusive language," and ultimately won the legal battle over their separation. As a result, it’s likely that the actress was able to maintain possession of the ring. However, it’s unclear whether she ever decided to sell it, as the jewel was never auctioned off before or after her death. 

Where Is Elizabeth Taylor's Diamond-Studded Sapphire Engagement Ring From Michael Wilding?

Rather than wait for a proposal from the British actor, Taylor reportedly decided to pop the question herself—she even went so far as to select her own ring, a diamond-studded sapphire. On February 21, 1952, the two tied the knot in an intimate ceremony. However, after five years of marriage and two children together, they split in 1957. While the whereabouts of the jewel are unknown, it’s likely that the actress decided to hold onto the sparkler, due to the couple’s amicable relationship following their divorce. She also may have opted to give it to one of the couple’s two sons, Michael and Christopher. 

Where Is Elizabeth Taylor's Emerald-Cut Diamond Engagement Ring From Mike Todd?

The film producer proposed to Taylor with an emerald-cut diamond ring while she was still married to Wilding. The two quickly married, tying the knot in Mexico on February 2, 1957, the same year the actress finalized her divorce with Wilding. However, just a year later, Todd died in a plane crash. The actress continued to wear the jewel, which she referred to as “my ice skating rink,” in the years following his death. The 29.4-carat diamond was ultimately the largest one she received from all of her partners. It's rumored that she sold the sparkler in 1959 in order to settle her deceased husband’s estate. 

Where Is Elizabeth Taylor's 50-Diamond "Engagement Bracelet" From Eddie Fisher?

A year after Todd died, the actress married Eddie Fisher, who was her best friend’s former husband. Fisher reportedly left his then-wife, Debbie Reynolds, and the couple’s two children to be with Taylor, creating a scandal that shocked fans of the stars. (At Taylor and Todd’s wedding in 1957, Fisher was the best man and Reynolds was the matron of honor.) Instead of an engagement ring, the singer gave the actress a bracelet containing 50 diamonds. The two divorced in 1964, after Taylor met Richard Burton. It’s unclear where the bracelet is now, as it wasn’t included in the 2011 Christie’s auction. 

Where Is Elizabeth Taylor's Bulgari Emerald "Engagement Brooch" From Richard Burton?

Taylor and Burton tied the knot twice. They first said “I do,” in 1964, before splitting 10 years later in 1974. However, just a year after their divorce, they remarried, before parting ways for the final time in 1976. The actor never gave Taylor an engagement ring, opting to propose to her with a Bulgari emerald brooch. Yet over the course of their relationship, Burton purchased many jewels for his wife, including the famous Krupp diamond. That jewel, later named the Taylor-Burton diamond, was often worn by the actress on her left ring finger. After the actress’s death, the famous jewel was purchased at auction for $8,818,500 by a Korean retail company. The engagement brooch was listed at the same auction—and sold for $6,578,500.

Where Is Elizabeth Taylor's Ruby, Emerald, and Diamond Engagement Ring From John Warner?

In 1976, Taylor married politician John Warner, her sixth husband. The Virginia native proposed to the actress with an engagement ring made of rubies, emeralds and diamonds. However, tensions arose between the two when Warner was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1979, and the two eventually divorced in 1982. The whereabouts of the ring are currently unknown. However, another piece Taylor wore during her marriage to Warner, a ruby and diamond ring by Van Cleef & Arpels, sold at auction in 2011 for $4,226,500. 

Here Is Elizabeth Taylor's 16-Carat Sapphire Engagement Ring From Victor Luna?

A year after splitting from Warner, Victor Luna, a lawyer, proposed to Taylor in 1983 with a 16-carat sapphire ring. However, the two ultimately called off their engagement in 1984. As for where the ring ended up following the split? The actress reportedly returned the sparkler to her former fiancé after their split. 

Where Is Elizabeth Taylor's Sapphire and Diamond Engagement Ring From Dennis Stein?

At the end of 1984, Dennis Stein, a businessman, proposed to the actress with a sapphire and diamond ring after just two months of dating. Their romance met a similar fate to Taylor’s previous relationships, and in February 1985, they called off their engagement. While the whereabouts of the ring aren’t known, it’s likely that the star returned it to Stein after their split. 

Where Is Elizabeth Taylor's Diamond Pavé Wedding Band From Larry Fortensky?

After meeting Larry Fortensky, a construction worker, in 1988, Taylor tied the knot for one final time. He proposed with a pavé diamond band, and the two said “I do” at Michael Jackson’s Neverland estate in October 1991. While they eventually divorced in 1996, the duo reportedly remained on good terms until the actress’s death in 2011. The current location of the band isn’t known; however, it’s likely that the star kept the piece in her possession after the parted ways, due to their amicable relationship.