The most expensive engagement ring we can document at auction is Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s 40-carat marquise diamond, which sold at Sotheby’s for $2.58 million in April 1996. Rings that were not engagement rings sold for far more: a blue diamond Bulgari ring fetched about $9.4 million in 2013.
Engagement rings rarely hit auction, and when they do the famous names push the price, not the carats. We ranked engagement rings by what a bidder paid, then added two non-engagement rings that sold for far more, because people searching this topic usually mean them. We found no engagement ring sale in 2025 or 2026 that belongs on the list.
| Rank | Ring | Price (USD) | Sold | Sold at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, 40 ct marquise | $2.58 million | April 1996 | Sotheby’s |
| 2 | Barbara Sinatra, 20 ct diamond | Nearly $1.7 million | December 2018 | Sotheby’s |
| 3 | Brooke Astor, 22.84 ct emerald and diamond | $1.2 million | September 2012 | Sotheby’s New York |
| 4 | Kris Humphries to Kim Kardashian | About $749,000 | October 2013 | Christie’s New York |
| Not engagement rings, but far higher: Bulgari blue diamond ring, $9.4 million (April 2013, Bonhams); Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, $8.8 million (December 2011, Christie’s) | ||||
1. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: $2.58 million
Aristotle Onassis gave her a 40-carat marquise diamond when he proposed. At Sotheby’s 1996 sale of her belongings it became the costliest lot of the auction, more than four times its top estimate of $600,000. The buyers were the founders of Weight Watchers, bidding for an unnamed friend.
The price is the report of the second day of the four-day sale. It is the oldest sale here, and we did not adjust it for inflation.
2. Barbara Sinatra: nearly $1.7 million
Frank Sinatra gave his fiancee Barbara a 20-carat diamond ring. At Sotheby’s in December 2018 it beat its top estimate of $1.5 million. We use the result figure as reported on the Friday of the sale.
3. Brooke Astor: $1.2 million
The 22.84-carat emerald and diamond platinum ring from the estate of the philanthropist sold at Sotheby’s New York on 25 September 2012 for $1.2 million. It led a sale of her jewels, and that figure comes from the sale report.
4. Kim Kardashian’s first ring: about $749,000
The ring from Kris Humphries went at Christie’s New York in October 2013 and sold far above its $300,000 to $500,000 estimate. Reports cited $749,000 to $750,000, and we show it as about $749,000.
The rings that outsell every engagement ring
The old version of this article crowned the Bulgari blue diamond ring. It is a 5.30-carat fancy deep-blue cushion diamond in a Bulgari Trombino setting from around 1965. Bonhams sold it in London on 24 April 2013 for 6.2 million pounds, about $9.4 million, to Graff Diamonds, roughly four times the estimate and a record per carat at the time. It was not bought as an engagement ring, but it is the ring most readers have in mind.
Elizabeth Taylor’s 33.19-carat diamond, a gift from Richard Burton in 1968, sold at Christie’s on 13 December 2011 for $8,818,500 including premium, a record per carat for a colourless diamond then, to South Korean group E-Land.
The biggest numbers belong to loose stones, not rings. Read our guide to the most expensive gemstones.
What pushes a ring above the carats
- Provenance. Onassis and Sinatra rings beat their estimates by multiples.
- Colour. The Bulgari ring sold at about $1.8 million per carat because the stone is deep blue.
- Scarcity. Blue diamonds are a tiny share of production.
- Story. A bidder buys a marriage, not a stone.
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What is the most expensive engagement ring ever sold?
At auction, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s 40-carat marquise diamond at $2.58 million in April 1996 is the highest engagement ring we could document.
What was the most expensive ring ever sold at auction?
The Bulgari blue diamond ring at about $9.4 million (Bonhams, April 2013) tops our list, though it was not an engagement ring. Elizabeth Taylor’s diamond reached $8.8 million in 2011.
Who bought the Bulgari blue diamond ring?
Graff Diamonds, a London jeweller, bought it at Bonhams in April 2013.
Did any engagement ring sell in 2025 or 2026?
We found no engagement ring result in those years that beats the ones listed.
What did Barbara Sinatra’s ring sell for?
Nearly $1.7 million at Sotheby’s in December 2018, above its top estimate of $1.5 million.
How much do celebrity engagement rings fetch?
On our list, from about $749,000 for a reality-TV ring to $2.58 million for the Onassis diamond.
How we put this list together
We ranked by auction result including buyer’s premium where reported, using auction reports in our internal valuation model. Prices are approximate and change over time.
Keep reading
- The most expensive watches in the world
- The most expensive gemstones
- 15 things you did not know about diamonds (video)
Last updated: October 2026.
