Stars With The Most Expensive Engagement Rings
Celebrity engagements always make a big splash, as the world waits with bated breath for glimpses of the inbound star-studded wedding and news of what married life is like for the happy couple. But before we get a look at the bride's designer dress (if she in fact makes it down the aisle), the small detail that's first featured all over magazine covers and our social media feeds is, of course, the engagement ring. In true celebrity fashion, engagement rings of the rich and famous skew to the flashy, heavily personalized and very, very expensive side.
While some celebs stick with jewels in the hundreds of thousands of dollars range to publicly declare their love, some splurge on stones worth literal millions, which only increase in value over time. Unfortunately, not all of these engagements end happily ever after, and many of these beautifully extravagant rings have to be dealt with in one way or another. Here, we dish on some of the most expensive engagement rings stars have worn over the years — and all the behind-the-scenes details you need to know.
Beyoncé's giant emerald-cut diamond was blindingly expensive
Beyoncé's beautiful 24-carat engagement ring came courtesy of celebrity jeweler Lorraine Schwartz and now-husband Jay-Z, of course (via PopSugar). The impressive bauble cost an estimated $5 million in 2008, but was thought to be worth just over $6 million in late 2020, according to Brides. If you were concerned about what this did to their bank accounts, don't worry: it wasn't too much of an expense for the pair, who were worth a combined $1.35 billion a couple of years ago (via Insider), and are only getting richer thanks to some savvy business moves, according to The New York Times.
As for the engagement ring, it features one of the largest diamonds we've ever seen, an emerald-cut diamond set on a split-shank band that looks the picture of elegance on Beyoncé's ring finger. This was far from the only time the singer has worked with Schwartz, who designed the $12 million diamond necklace she wore at the 2017 Grammys, as well as her legendary pair of hoop earrings, according to Town & Country. In the jeweler's interview with the magazine, she credited Beyoncé with helping inspire her new initiative, working to diversify the jewelry industry. "Since I started my business 20 years ago, the Black community supported me and believed in my work," Schwartz told T&C.
Today, Grace Kelly's engagement ring would be worth a whopping $38 million
When actress Grace Kelly got engaged to Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1955, she was the lucky recipient of not one but two Cartier rings worthy of her new princess status, according to PureWow. The first and relatively more modest one — we said "relatively" — was an eternity ring featuring rubies and diamonds as a nod to the flag of Monaco, according to Hello! This was presumably the ring that Rainier proposed with, but it's not so much the one that made history.
There may never have been a second ring if it hadn't been for Kelly's last movie role in High Society. Her part as Tracy Lord apparently required her to wear a large diamond, which, naturally, was originally going to be a piece of costume jewelry, as noted by Brides. But Rainier wouldn't allow it: Instead, he presented his bride-to-be with the real deal, a 10.48-carat emerald-cut diamond ring that cost over $4 million even back then. The ring, also by Cartier, is thought to be worth a jaw-dropping $38 million these days, according to Brides. And all that for a movie.
Mariah Carey sold her engagement ring to get rid of emotional baggage
Once upon a time, legendary songstress Mariah Carey was engaged to one James Packer, an Australian billionaire and heir to a casino empire (via Forbes). When Carey and Packer went their separate ways in 2016, their settlement included the $10 million engagement ring he had previously given her, according to Vanity Fair.
But Carey was keen to swiftly move on and leave all relationship "baggage" — namely the 35-carat diamond engagement ring — behind, as reported by Page Six. She reportedly sold the ring to a jeweler for a neat $2.1 million, thereby symbolically ridding herself of a relationship she wanted nothing more to do with. Further proof of this came when Carey released her memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, in 2020. When asked in an interview with The Guardian why Packer did not feature in the book, the singer's response could not have been more clear: "If it was a relationship that mattered, it's in the book. If not, it didn't occur," she said.
It's a shame things ended so sourly for the former couple, if only because the ring was such a unique piece of jewelry. It was designed by Carey's friend Wilfredo Rosado with special consideration for the star's taste, and consisted of an imposing center stone surrounded by two smaller diamonds set on a platinum band. "I wanted to create the most gorgeous ring for my dear friend, but I also wanted to create the most stunning ring for one of the most iconic divas of our generation," Rosado told Vogue back in 2016. As for what happened to the ring, it remains anyone's guess.
Kim Kardashian's $4.5 million ring was stolen when she was robbed in Paris
It seems as though, for many celebs, one engagement ring simply isn't enough. When Kanye West proposed to Kim Kardashian back in 2013, it was in true Yeezy style: with a 15-carat ring worth between $2.5 and $3 million, as one expert estimated to E! News. The cushion-cut diamond, set on a pavé band, was another Lorraine Schwartz original, according to Brides. The rapper presented his fiancée with the jewel as part of a proposal as grand as you'd expect from the high-profile former couple, in a takeover of San Francisco's AT&T Park in the presence of just their closest friends... oh, and an entire orchestra, per The Guardian.
For reasons that will probably remain a mystery forever, West subsequently decided that his wife just had to have a second engagement ring. In 2016, he commissioned Schwartz to create another, even more impressive jewel for Kardashian, this time a 20-carat diamond with an emerald cut that was immortalized in a now-infamous Instagram post, as noted by Marie Claire. Worth an estimated $4.5 million, the ring was sadly stolen just weeks later when Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint during Paris Fashion Week in October 2016. Speaking to the Associated Press, Johanna Primevert, a spokeswoman for the Paris police department, said "It was really the celebrity who was targeted, with possessions that had been seen and noticed via social media, and it was these goods that the attackers targeted." The ring was never to be seen again, if you discount the time Kardashian borrowed a fake one from Schwartz for the purposes of a KKW fragrance photoshoot, as reported by Business Insider.
Paris Hilton has had four very expensive rings to her name
Socialite and entrepreneur Paris Hilton has been engaged four times, and her various fiancés spared no expense, as evidenced by Brides. Let us walk you through Hilton's four engagement rings. First, there was the pear-shaped diamond from Jason Shaw in 2002 — we don't know how much this one cost, but it sure does look like some serious hardware.
The real winner, in terms of price if not long-lasting romance, was the 24-carat ring Hilton received from ex Paris Latsis back in 2005. The jewel, which was worth an estimated $4.7 million according to E!, featured a distinct canary diamond — that is, as you might expect, a bright yellow gemstone. Unfortunately, their wedding never happened and the couple went their separate ways in the fall of 2005, according to People.
Hilton didn't get engaged again until January 2018, when actor Chris Zylka gave her a giant, 20-carat, pear-shaped diamond. TMZ estimated the ring at a cozy $2 million, but the price didn't come without its fair share of drama. When Hilton and Zylka split in late 2018, Page Six reported that Zylka wanted his ex-fiancée to give the ring back — which she was legally bound to, according to TMZ, but refused to do, per People. Rumors were flying that Zylka hadn't paid anything for the ring; however, a rep for the actor appeared to deny that it had been a freebie. "Chris has his own money. Do your homework," he told Page Six. TMZ also suggested that, though Zylka may not have paid full-price for the jewel, he didn't get it for free either.
Last but not least, Hilton received a lovely emerald-cut diamond from current fiancé Carter Reum, which The Zoe Report puts at $1 million. Writing on her website, Hilton explains that Reum tapped a descendent of Louis-François Cartier, Jean Dousset, to create the ring. Speaking of their engagement, Hilton said, "It was the kind of proposal I had always dreamed of, followed by a special celebration with family and close friends."
Jennifer Lopez has literally worn millions of dollars on her ring finger
Five engagements, when you're JLo, can quickly add up. Before Jennifer Lopez was engaged to Alex Rodriguez, four other men popped the question, as reported by Town & Country. Her first husband, Ojani Noa, gave the actress and singer the most relatively "Jenny from the block" of her engagement rings, a pear-shaped diamond worth some $100,000, per T&C. Her second husband, Cris Judd, also reportedly spent six figures on their engagement ring in 2001, though HollywoodLife notes that we don't actually know the true cost of any of Lopez' rings.
When Ben Affleck proposed to Lopez, it was with a Harry Winston ring worth $1.2 million, according to Vogue. It was adorned with a 6.10-carat pink diamond, but the couple's destiny wasn't so rose-tinted. They broke up before they could get married, which CheatSheet attributes to Affleck changing his mind. J-Lo's relationship with Marc Anthony, the father of her two children, was her most long-lived to date, lasting from 2004 to their separation in 2011, according to InStyle. To kick off their short engagement, Anthony gave his bride-to-be her second Harry Winston engagement ring, this one an 8.5-carat, princess-cut blue diamond, which PureWow estimates at $4 million.
Finally, Alex Rodriguez Rod proposed to JLo in 2019 with a ring worth over $1 million, according to Page Six. Though the latest from TMZ is that the pair is still together despite the rumors, Lopez has recently posted pictures of herself sans engagement ring, causing people to wonder what exactly is happening, as ELLE notes.
Ciara's dazzling ring has a price tag to match
Singer Ciara and her now-husband footballer Russell Wilson became engaged in 2016 during a visit to the Seychelles, according to Us Weekly. The ring, which features a 16-carat diamond and four smaller side stones, according to Glamour, is thought to be worth roughly $2 million (via The Knot). As for Ciara's wedding ring, it turned out to be a double diamond eternity band (via People) that's even more jaw-dropping than the engagement ring, if you can believe that.
The couple, now happily married, first met in 2015, as reported by Brides. They famously decided to practice abstinence until their wedding. Explaining the decision in Cosmopolitan South Africa (via E!), Ciara said, "I really believe that when you focus on a friendship, you have the opportunity to build a strong foundation for a relationship — and once you know you're really great friends and you're what we call 'equally yoked,' where you share the same values or the same outlook on life, it kind of sets the tone." The pair were discreetly married in England in July 2016.
Blake Lively's ring is pretty in pink
Blake Lively's relationship with husband Ryan Reynolds is the stuff of (humor-filled) fairytales, and her engagement ring is equally swoon-worthy. Yet another Lorraine Schwartz design, it features a pavé band in 14k rose gold and light pink 12-carat diamond, and is estimated at $2 million, per The Knot. Speaking to British Vogue, the Gossip Girl actress called the ring her "most treasured possession."
The couple met in 2010 while filming the movie Green Lantern, according to Insider. It wasn't until 2011, however, that the world was blessed with confirmation (courtesy of People) that the two were "very much" an item. They were married in September 2012 on a former plantation, something that Reynolds later apologized for. Speaking to Fast Company, the actor said, "It's impossible to reconcile. What we saw at the time was a wedding venue on Pinterest. What we saw after was a place built upon devastating tragedy."
Serena Williams' ring is an imposing affair
Another fully fledged member of the $2 million ring club, tennis player Serena Williams got engaged to businessman Alexis Ohanian with a massive oval-cut center stone and two side stones set on a plain band, according to Hello! Ohanian gave the ring, which boasts about 12 carats, to Williams in 2016, as reported by PureWow. Since she was about to marry the co-founder of Reddit, the sportswoman did the only acceptable thing and announced their betrothal on the social media platform, according to Insider.
The pair first met in Rome at a breakfast buffet and their engagement 18 months later became the stuff of Hollywood-fashioned fairytales. In an interview with Vogue, Williams recalled the moment Ohanian whisked her off, back to Europe, to pop the question. "Alexis flew me out to Rome, back to the exact table where we'd met," she said. "We were both really nervous but also excited to take this huge step. It was such a beautiful moment."
Anna Kournikova apparently received two engagement rings from Enrique Iglesias
Just like some other big names on this list, former tennis player Anna Kournikova received two engagement rings, in her case from singer Enrique Iglesias, both of which are beautifully colorful. The first is a very large, 11-carat pear-shaped pink diamond, according to Marie Claire Australia. It also appears to have two smaller white side stones. The other, which Kournikova started wearing in 2009, features an 11-carat canary diamond worth a casual $2.5 million, according to Life & Style.
The details of Kournikova and Iglesias' relationship are very complicated, and it seems the couple are currently not married — though Iglesias seemed to joke that they were married and divorced twice, in 2007 and 2014, according to Oprah Daily. They have also both expressed that they're not particularly interested in marriage. According to the Daily Mail, Iglesias once said, "A lot of people think that I'm against marriage, but you can be happy with someone without being married." As for Kournikova, she told Women's Health (via People) in 2020, "[Marriage] isn't important to me. I'm in a happy relationship – that's all that matters." The two are, however, proud parents to fraternal twins Nicholas and Lucy, who turned three years old in December 2020, and now-one-year-old Mary, per People. All three kids regularly feature on Kournikova's Instagram.