We all know that lasting relationships in Hollywood, are extremely rare. Name any celebrity power couple and chances are, they’ve already broken up, or rumoured to be headed for splitsville. Case in point: Brangelina (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, in case you’ve been living under a rock) — one of Tinseltown’s most enduring romances that gave us hope that maybe, just maybe, it would beat the odds and last forever. But now that the couple is in the midst of divorce proceedings, we’re already keeping a close watch on other prominent pairs (yes, Kim and Kanye, we’re looking at you).
Seeing how show business seems to be a popular burial ground for true love, we can’t help but feel sceptical whenever yet another famous personality shows off an engagement ring. In fact, this year has already witnessed many high-profile engaged pairs parting ways: Mariah Carey and James Packer, Lady Gaga and Taylor Kinney, Iggy Azalea and Nick Young — the list goes on.
The bright side? Romance may die, but diamonds are forever. And when it comes to engagement rings, it almost seems that celebrities are constantly trying to one-up each other, which each jewel being more lavish and ostentatious than the one before it. Here are 10 celebrity engagement rings — which most of us plebeians would have to slog for a lifetime, strike the lottery, or sell our organs to afford. Now, who says money can’t buy happiness?
(Main photo credit: Heightline; Featured photo credit: Cambio)
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1 /10
In January, Australian billionaire James Packer proposed to Mariah Carey with an eye-watering US$10 million (S$14.3 million) engagement ring. The platinum jewel was bedecked with a huge 35-carat diamond, and was created by New York-based jeweller Wilfredo Rosado. Sadly, Carey and Packer called it quits after being engaged for 10 months. The songstress got to keep the ring, and is now dating backup dancer Bryan Tanaka.
(Photo credit: Splash News/ ET Online)
2 /10
The Duchess of Cambridge is more royalty than celebrity, but one can’t deny that her engagement ring from Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is a superstar in its own right. Previously owned by the late Diana, Princess of Wales, the Garrard ring comprises a 12-carat blue Ceylon sapphire framed by a halo of 14 solitaire diamonds, and set in 18k white gold. It has remained largely unchanged, apart from being resized to fit Middleton’s finger.
(Photo credit: Paul Hackett/ Reuters/ The New York Times)
3 /10
The pop diva’s husband Jay Z finally put a ring on it in 2008, with this blinding jewel mounted with an 18-carat diamond. The ring was designed by Lorraine Schwartz, a popular jeweller who has created pieces for the likes of Lady Gaga and Cate Blanchett.
(Photo credit: Getty Images/ Vogue)
4 /10
The reality television starlet made headlines in October when she was robbed at gunpoint in her Paris residence by a group of armed men, who then made off with some US$10 million (S$14.3 million) worth of her jewellery. Among the stolen loot was her Lorraine Schwartz engagement ring, which was festooned with a 20-carat emerald cut diamond and valued at a princely US$4.5 million (S$6.44 million). She had received the flashy jewel from her husband Kanye West just a few months before the incident — it was intended to be an “upgraded” engagement ring and came engraved with “Adidas” on its inside, in celebration of West’s closing a deal with the sports brand. We can’t help but wonder where the ring is now.
(Photo credit: Kim Kardashian West’s Instagram)
5 /10
Brangelina is no more, but we can’t forget Jolie’s glorious engagement ring, which her former husband Brad Pitt had personally designed in collaboration with jeweller Richard Procop. Simple and elegant, it features a shimmering 16-carat diamond.
(Photo credit: Howard Pasamanick Photography/ People)
6 /10
As beautiful as white diamonds are, they can also get a little boring. So we’re very much taken with Blake Lively’s rose gold engagement ring, which is crafted with a 7-carat, oval-shaped pale pink diamond. It also features delicate pavé sparklers along its band, and is the work of Lorraine Schwartz (again).
(Photo credit: The Natural Sapphire Company)
7 /10
Eschewing the usual diamonds, the Avatar actress opted instead for a dazzling pear-shaped emerald ring, which she only revealed after her secret wedding to Marco Perego in 2013. The stone was obtained from Colombia’s Muzo mine, and is estimated to cost between US$18,000 and US$32,000 (S$25,769 and S$45,812). Its bold hue and shape makes it a perfect statement accessory.
(Photo credit: Hello Magazine)
8 /10
Scarlett Johannson’s engagement ring from French journalist Romain Dauriac may not boast the biggest gemstones, but it stands out because of its unconventional Art Deco-inspired, geometric design that combines three big, round diamonds with many smaller ones. Rectangular, boxy lines add visual interest to the jewel.
(Photo credit: The Engagement Ring Bible)
9 /10
Purchased from a Sotheby’s jewellery auction, Mary-Kate Olsen’s vintage Cartier ring showcases a gleaming 4-carat diamond surrounded by sapphires along its circumference. Its edges are also meticulously decked out in smaller single-cut diamonds. The ring dates back to 1953 and cost US$81,250 (S$116,321).
(Photo credit: E Online/ Sotheby’s)
10 /10
Ahead of her 2013 wedding, the singer posted a picture of her stunning engagement ring on her Twitter account. It is composed of a large yellow canary diamond fringed by smaller sparklers — which continue along the band — and is the workmanship of California-based designer Johnathon Arndt.
(Photo credit: Kelly Clarkson’s Twitter)
Sara Yap is passionate about all things dining and jewellery, and is constantly seeking out exciting restaurants and glittering trinkets. When she’s not feasting in the name of work, chatting with talented chefs, or daydreaming about coloured diamonds, she’s probably binge-watching the latest Netflix series or indulging in her guilty pleasure — Hollywood celebrity gossip. Sara is a journalism graduate from Nanyang Technological University and her work has appeared in The Business Times Lifestyle and Prestige Singapore magazine.
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