Celebrity Engagements

Approximately every 30 seconds, another celebrity gets engaged. Okay, so that is an exaggeration, but not by much. Celebrities are always getting engaged and married and divorced and engaged all over again. They have a lot of money, and tend to spend extravagantly, especially on their jewelry, and especially on the people they love, however short-lived the relationship turns out to be. So you can imagine what kind of engagement rings they buy for each other! Not to mention wedding bands, eternity bands, and just plain ole’ presents.

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones dated for 10 months before becoming engaged. Michael proposed to Catherine with a vintage 10-carat marquise shape diamond set horizontally. Unbeknownst to Michael, Catherine had actually borrowed this exact same ring several different times to wear to various events. Catherine has always looked at this fact as proof that the union was meant to be.

Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon have always shared a loved for vintage and antique styles. In 1999, after learning that Reese was pregnant, Ryan proposed with a 4.5 carat Asscher-cut diamond in a 1920s art Deco style setting. Reese was so impressed with the ring that, not only did she say yes, but she posed with her ring for several magazines and talked about how it sparkles and shines whenever she moves her hand. Thanks to Ryan and Reese, a huge comeback has been ignited for Asscher-cut engagement rings.

When sport-star Joe DiMaggio married the celebrated Marilyn Monroe in 1954, he gave her a platinum eternity band set with 35 baguette-cut diamonds. During their honeymoon in Japan, Joe gave Marilyn a 16 inch strand of pearls containing 44 Mikimoto pearls. When Marilyn’s property was sold decades after her death, the eternity band sold at auction for $772,500 (missing one stone) to an anonymous bidder, and her infamous “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” gown sold for $1, 267,500. The pearl necklace was given to Paula Strasberg by Marilyn herself. Strasberg gave the necklace to her daughter, who returned the pearls to Mikimoto, Japan in 1998.

Elizabeth Taylor is famous for two things: her many husbands, and her fantastic jewelry: Ms. Taylor was engaged to her third husband, Michael Todd, in 1956 with an emerald cut diamond that weighed almost 30 carats. He later joked that the ring wasn’t quite 30 carats – only 29.6 carats. She also owned the Krupp Diamond, the Taylor-Burton Diamond, and the Taj Mahal Diamond.

Audrey Hepburn received a fantastic engagement ring from Mel Ferrer: an eternity band set with baguette-cut diamonds. Mel also gave Audrey two wedding bands – one rose-gold and one white-gold, which she wore separately or together, and with many different outfits.

In 1903, Franklin Roosevelt proposed to his fifth-cousin, Eleanor Roosevelt. After Eleanor accepted, Franklin went ring shopping at Tiffany”s in New York City. After careful deliberation, Franklin finally chose a 3.4-carat cushion- shaped diamond set in a golden ring with diamond and platinum details.

A few more brief engagement ring stories: Donald Trump presented Melanie Knauss with an overwhelming 12-carat emerald cut engagement ring reported to cost an easy $1 million; Jessica Simpson’s 4-carat engagement ring was an unusual pear-shape set in platinum with two side stones; Katie Holmes’ 5-carat ring from Tom Cruise is a classic oval shape in a pave setting, and Star Jones opted for a stunning princess cut diamond as a fitting prelude to her extravagant million-dollar wedding.

With all the money spent on celebrity engagement rings, it’s a marvel that the marriages don’t last very long. One would think that celebrities would be able to predict, or at least plan for, a short wedding, and spend less money on the engagement ring. But the celebrities throw around more money than most of us make in a life time. Ever wonder if the women would still say yes if they were presented with less elaborate presents? I guess the saying that money can’t buy happiness is actually true.