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Elizabeth Taylor was engaged 10 times over the course of her life
She got married eight times — twice to the same man
Her largest engagement ring, which was purchased by producer Mike Todd, was 29 carats
Elizabeth Taylor's engagement rings are the baubles of legend.
TheCleopatrastar was engaged 10 times over the course of her lifetime and gotmarried eighttimes — twice to the same man, actorRichard Burton. On her ring finger, she wore everything from a large sapphire to a 29-carat diamond.
Taylor, who died of congestive heart failure in March 2011, amassed such an impressivecollection of jewelrythat she wrote a 2003 book on the subject titledElizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry.
"I feel as though I'm only the custodian of my jewelry," she wrote in her book, perWWD. "When I die and they go off to auction, I hope whoever buys them gives them a really good home."
Here's everything to know about Elizabeth Taylor's engagement rings.
The white cushion-cut diamond
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Taylor first got engaged to U.S. army pilot William Pawley Jr., whom she met while she was 17 years old on vacation in Florida, per the star'swebsite. The two got engaged within months of meeting one another in 1949.
Pawley Jr. gave Taylor her first-ever white diamond engagement ring, which had a cushion-cut design.
According to theLos Angeles Times, the pair announced their engagement in June 1949, but had called things off by the fall.
Letters between the couple, which were auctioned off in May 2011, revealed that Taylor gave Pawley Jr. back the ring following their split. "I received your wire this morning about sending the ring and bracelet to New York," she wrote on Sept. 20, 1949, perABC.
"I have the ring on now," she continued. "It is sparkling so beautifully in the sunshine — I suppose this will be the last time I have it on — for a while at least."
She ended her note with the words, "Take good care of it, darling — for my heart is embeded [sic] right there in the center of it."
The platinum 4-carat diamond
Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty
Taylor received another engagement ring, whichTheNew York Timesdescribed as a 4-carat diamond with a platinum setting, from her first husband,Conrad "Nicky" Hilton Jr. They wed on May 6, 1950.
The union didn't last, however. Following an ill-fated, three-month-long honeymoon, the newlyweds called it quits on their marriage. During the trip, Hilton "became sullen, angry and abusive, physically and mentally," Taylor wrote in her 1988 autobiographyElizabeth Takes Off.
TheNew York Timesreported their split in December 1950, and their divorce was finalized on Jan. 29, 1951, according toEntertainment Weekly.
The sapphire with diamonds
Bettmann Archive/Getty
Taylor's engagement ring from British actor Michael Wilding was unique. According toThe New York Times, it featured a large sapphire encircled by two rows of diamonds.
The actress was photographed in the eye-catching piece at La Guardia Field while en route to Wilding's London just days ahead of their Feb. 21, 1952, wedding.
They welcomed two children during their time together: Michael Wilding Jr., who was born on Jan. 6, 1953, and Christopher Wilding, born on Feb. 27, 1955.
The twosome underwent a "friendly divorce" in 1957, according to Wilding's obituary inThe Washington Post.
The 29-carat diamond
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Taylor received an enormous rock from producer Mike Todd ahead of their Feb. 2, 1957, nuptials. Weighing in at 29 carats, she called the emerald-cut piece "an extraordinary stone."
Taylor opened up about the events leading up to Mike's proposal in her December 1964Lifecover story. According to the actress, her soon-to-be third husband called her the day after her separation from Wilding was publicly announced.
"He sort of plunked me down on the couch ... and started in on a spiel that lasted about a half hour without a stop, saying that he loved me and that there was no question about it, we're going to be married," she said.
She later wrote inElizabeth Takes Off, "He didn't ask me, he told me."
During their marriage, the couple welcomed daughter Liza Todd on Aug. 6, 1957. The couple's relationship was tragically cut short in March 1958, when Todd was killed in a plane crash.
Elizabeth continued to wear his engagement ring — as well as other gifts she received from Todd, including her $4.2 million tiara, which she wore to the 1957 Oscars.
The 50-diamond bracelet
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Todd's engagement ring proved hard to compete with, so her fourth husband, singerEddie Fisher, to whom she was wed from 1959 to 1964, didn't try. Instead, he gave Taylor a 50-diamond bracelet, which she wore to Fisher's opening performance at the Tropicana Hotel.
The couple ultimately signed their marriage certificates justthree hoursafter Fisher's divorce fromDebbie Reynoldswas finalized in 1959.
However, they split after a tumultuous relationship, divorcing in 1964.
The emerald brooch and earrings
William Lovelace/Evening Standard/Getty
Taylor also received an unconventional engagement piece from her fifth (and sixth) husband andCleopatracostar Burton, whom she married twice.
In place of a ring, Burton presented his bride-to-be with a Bulgari emerald brooch and teardrop earrings, per WWD. Taylor even pinned the brooch to her wedding gown at the duo's March 15, 1964, wedding. (Burton later had it turned into a necklace with 16 Columbian emeralds.)
The actor later gave Taylor an 18.6-carat Bulgari emerald ring with pear-cut diamonds on their wedding day. During their marriage, he gifted her with a number of flashy pieces, including the famous 69.42-carat Harry Winston Taylor-Burton diamond, according toThe New York Times.
Before marrying Burton, Taylor was in the process of adopting daughter Maria McKeown, who was born on Jan. 8, 1961. Burton eventually adopted Maria as well.
As for the couple, they divorced in June 1974. One year later, they remarried on Oct. 10, 1975, but split once more after several months.
The custom ruby, sapphire and diamond ring
Sonia Moskowitz/IMAGES/Getty
Aspiring U.S. Senate candidate John Warner popped the question to Taylor with a red, white and blue ring comprised of rubies, diamonds and blue sapphires.
According toTheNew York Times, Warner had the piece custom-designed for his future wife.
The couple exchanged their vows on Dec. 4, 1976, and stayed together for the next six years, including as he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1979. However, the life of a politician's wife didn't suit Taylor.
"I was told to wear tweeds," she told PEOPLE in 2006. "I couldn't wear purple or Halston pantsuits."
Ultimately, distance was too much for the pair. "For a while, we just managed married life. Then she started plays in London and that became a little more difficult, and finally we just said, 'Hey, let's always remain good friends but let's take the legal part and ... go our separate ways,' " Warner told PEOPLE in March 2011. "And that's how it happened."
He added, "We never had any real infractions between us. It was just that I became so absorbed in the Senate."
The 16-carat sapphire
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Taylor added to her collection of engagement rings in 1983 when lawyer Victor Luna popped the question with a 16-carat sapphire, according toUPI.
Per the publication, they never went through with the wedding, mutually agreeing to call things off in August 1984.
"The couple remarked they will remain strong friends," her rep said at the time.
The sapphire-and-diamond stunner
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Taylor received another sapphire-and-diamond bauble from businessman Dennis Stein in December 1984 after two months of dating.
According to theLos Angeles Times, she stopped wearing the in February 1985 after the wedding was canceled.
"It's very amicable and very friendly," a representative for Taylor told the outlet of the pair's split.
The pavé diamond band
Barry King/Alamy
Taylor's final wedding to construction worker Larry Fortensky was an extravagant affair that took place onMichael Jackson's Santa Ynez Valley, Calif., estate on Oct. 6, 1991.
PEOPLE reported at the time that the twosome had tied the knot with a simple pavé-encrusted diamond band, which she wore for the first time on their big day.
Though Taylor and Fortensky split in 1996, they stayed friends throughout her lifetime. "I have wonderful memories of my time with Elizabeth, and I will treasure her memory forever," Fortensky told PEOPLE in April 2011. "I love her. I always will. And I know she loved me, too."
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