Notable People
Grace Kelly, Mariah Carey and Elizabeth Taylor all had engagement rings that could compete with Georgina Rodriguez’s impressive ring.
Georgina Rodriguez has a brand new and very expensive ring in her collection. Cristiano Ronaldo proposed to his long-time love with a ring that diamond experts have valued at upwards of $10 million. The 30-carat bauble is truly something special, and while Rodriguez is sporting one of the largest and most expensive celebrity engagement rings in history, it hasn’t taken the top spot. We’ve curated a list of three exceptional and expensive celebrity engagement rings.
Grace Kelly’s engagement ring is said to be worth $44 million today
Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III had a truly beautiful love story. The actor and the prince met in 1955 at the Cannes Film Festival. They fell in love quickly and announced their engagement the following year. She gave up her career to become Princess of Monaco, and they lived happily for decades. Even following her tragic death, after she suffered a stroke while driving at just 52, Prince Rainier III kept her memory alive. He did not remarry.
Their epic love story began with a very lovely diamond ring. The prince initially proposed with a diamond and ruby band. Still, upon seeing Grace Kelly’s other jewelry, he presented her with a massive diamond that he believed better suited her style. According to Brides, the ring, a 10.47-carat emerald-cut diamond flanked by two baguette diamonds, was designed by Cartier and valued at $4 million in the 1950s. It would be worth $44 million today. The original band Prince Reinier III presented to his love was also by Cartier.
Elizabeth Taylor had plenty of very expensive engagement rings
Elizabeth Taylor had more engagement rings than most people, and one that was worth more than most, too. Taylor was engaged 10 times, married eight times, and went through seven divorces. She collected more than a few engagement rings, but the most valuable was given to her by Richard Burton.
The ring, which featured a 33-carat Asscher-cut diamond known as the Krupp Diamond, was given to Taylor in 1968 after Richard Burton purchased it at auction. According to the FBI, the auction fetched a record high price of $307,000. The ring was sold at auction again in 2011 for $8.8 million.
Taylor was also gifted a 69-carat pear-shaped diamond ring. The ring was given to her by Richard Burton in 1969. She sold the piece following their second divorce. Henry Lambert reportedly purchased the ring for $5 million.
Mariah Carey wore a massive ring but the wedding never happened
Mariah Carey was engaged to James Packer in 2016. To seal the deal, Packer gifted Carey with a 35-carat emerald-cut diamond, but even a massive ring didn’t get them down the aisle. The pair had a messy breakup in late 2016 after tensions reportedly boiled over. According to several sources, Carey learned that her engagement had ended from the media.
She got the last laugh, though. Carey sold the ring, estimated to be worth $10 million, for just $2 million. She then went on to tell The Guardian that she didn’t mention Packer in her book, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, because the relationship was “never physical” and didn’t matter.
