Ever since the De Beers Diamond company have told the world that Diamonds are forever, and that fiancés should show their love by buying them, there’s been a huge intertest in fancy engagement rings. While the company often advertised the idea that those proposing should spend about three months’ salary on the ring, there have been a few that really have outdone themselves. Here, we take a look at the world’s most expensive engagement rings of all time, with the estimated price tags.
While only starting off our list of most expensive rings, this one is one of the richest in regards to history. Now belonging to Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, this ring originally was given to the ill-fated Princess Diana by Charles, Prince of Wales way back in 1981. Picked out by Princess Diana herself, this was no custom ring (as many would have thought), but rather a design made by Garrard Jewelers. That being said, the cost alone made it basically unattainable by anyone else. It features a beautifully cut sapphire as the primary stone, encrusted with no less than 14 diamonds.
9. Kournikova’s Engagement Ring – $2.5 Million
You can’t put a price tag on love, but with a 16 year marriage to Enrique Iglesias, one can’t say a bit of investment hurts. The Russian Tennis star boasts an 11 carat pear cut diamond ring with adjacent Trillian stones. This ring certainly isn’t the only big thing about this celebrity relationship. In 2013, after reconciling their relationship during a rocky period, the couple now also has a $26 Million mansion on the Miami beachside.
8. Catherine Zeta Jones’s Ring – $2.5 Million
Age is just a number, and to some people, so is expense. This is especially true of Catherine Zeta Jones and her husband since 2000, Michael Douglass, who have a 25 year age difference. The ring itself is composed of a 10 carat diamond with an addition 28 smaller diamonds present. With such a large focal stone, it’s often slightly off-center when word to allow for movement without issue.
7. The Onassis Ring – $2.6 Million
Even if the value of the ring was divided by the number of times it was worn by the original owner, Jacqueline Onassis, this ring would still make it on the list. Valued at nearly $3 Million but only ever worn twice, this ring has a massive 40 carats worth of diamonds, with a large square cut emerald also on prominent display. This ring was presented to Jacqueline by Aristotle Onassis, whom she married several years after the death of her first husband and U.S. President John F. Kennedy. They would remain married until the end of Aristotle’s life in 1975.
6. Melania Knauss’s Ring – $3 Million
Perhaps better known know as Melania Trump, the First Lady of the United States, or by her birth name of Melanija Knavs, the owner of this ring has certainly palled around with some of the most rich and famous people around. What better to wear then, than one of the most expensive engagements rings around? The ring itself features an astounding 15 carat, emerald cut diamond, and as a result is best worn off-center. Otherwise we would imagine this beast of a diamond would get in the way of day to day activities. Oddly enough, there appear to be no accenting stones, giving this ring a simple, elegant look with a definite focal point.
5. Jennifer Lopez’s Ring – $4 Million
Given to Lopez by her husband of 10 years, Marc Anthony, this ring is truly big and bold. Designed by Neil Lane and crusted with Blue Diamonds, the center stone alone is 8.5 carats. These blue diamonds are remarkable in their clarity, despite themselves carrying some impurities which give it a colour unique to itself, even when compared with sapphire. The Lopez ring in particular only has the lightest shade of blue, which add some value to it in subtlety. Sadly, while this is an incredibly valuable ring lasting, the marriage of Lopez and Marc Anthony wouldn’t, ending in 2014.
4. Grace Kelly’s Engagement Ring – $4.06 Million
Coming in at number 4 on the world’s most expensive engagement rings is the classic one that Prince Rainier III of Monaco gave Grace Kelly. This ring carries a very classic design, with a central emerald cut diamond coming in at 10.47 carats. On both sides, there are two smaller diamonds, which are exquisitely cut. As for the royal marriage itself, it lasted from 1956 until her untimely death in 1982.
3. Paris and Paris’s Engagement Ring – $4.7 Million
Given to Paris Hilton by Paris Latsis, the only thing that would have made this more on the nose is if Paris proposed to Paris in Paris, France. With a central stone of 24 carats, this ring was not worn often, as Paris often complained it was so heavy it hurt her finger. Also, the engagement didn’t end up working. It features a pair of triangle cut diamond baguettes beside the main stone. During a recovery auction for Hurricane Katrina, Hilton would put up the ring for auction, where it got the price mentioned above.
2. Beyoncé’s Engagement Ring – $5 Million
The runner up to the most expensive engagement rings in the world belongs to quite possibly the most powerful Hip-Hop royalty ever, the power couple of Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Designed by Lorraine Schwartz, this ring features an 18 carat central diamond, octagon cut, with a split Platinum base. The primary gem itself is said to be flawless in terms of clarity, which certainly adds value to the ring. The split Platinum bands are, of course, covered in diamonds. After nearly a decade of marriage, the couple are now worth nearly $1.2 Billion, making this amazingly expensive ring merely a drop in their financial bucket.
1. Elizabeth Taylor’s Engagement Ring – $8.8 Million
Coming in as the most expensive engagement ring in the world is the ring given to one of the most recognized names in the world. Given to Elizabeth Taylor by actor Richard Burton, this ring is massive by any scale. Carrying a 33.19 carat central Krupp Diamond, and cut in the Asscher style, this diamond is rated as a Type IIa stone, considered the most chemically pure diamond available. While this ring has not belonged to Elizabeth Taylor for some time, it was auctioned off in 2011 for the $8.8 Million to an unnamed collector.
