Elizabeth Taylor, the iconic English American actress, had a fabled love affair with jewellery and men, with no less than eight official marriages on the books. This sapphire and diamond ring perfectly encapsulates how both romance and jewels were interwoven into the very fabric of her life.

Originally auctioned in 2011 as part of The collects ion of Elizabeth Taylor sale, the ring was offered before its fascinating backstory had been revealed. In 2017, previously unseen photos of a flamboyantly dressed Taylor wearing the ring appeared in Italian photographer Gianni Bozzachi’s memoir, My Life in Focus: A Photographer’s Journey with Elizabeth Taylor and the Hollywood Jet Set. Bozzachi makes the claim that Taylor set up the shoot in response to the suggestion of an affair between Richard Burton and Sophia Loren during his stay at her Marino villa. As was well documented by the press, Burton and Taylor’s relationship had its ups and downs, seeing them marry, divorce, re-marry and finally divorce again. According to Bozzachi, when she learned about the supposed affair, she “wanted the world to know she was single, still young, and beautiful”. The photos were to be sold to magazines to accompany stories on her divorce of Burton.

However, it should be noted that there is another version of this story in circulation. After learning about the alleged affair between Burton and Loren, Taylor travelled to Rome in 1973 with the goal of winning back her lover. Bozzacchi, who was a close companion of the couple, arranged an intimate dinner, giving them both the opportunity to rekindle their relationship. His ploy was successful. In celebration of their reunion, Burton wanted to surprise Taylor with a fabulous gift. He asked Bozzachi to have Bulgari open their doors early so that he could buy this sapphire and diamond ring, presenting it to Taylor the moment she woke. A few days later Taylor organized a photoshoot with Bozzacchi where she would model her new gift; it has been implied that she was using this occasion to signal her victory over Loren and that the ring symbolised her newly reignited relationship with Burton.

The story of this ring shows just how much jewellery was inextricably linked to all of her relationships and in many cases, were metaphors for her passions and attachments.