Being presented with a diamond engagement ring is certainly an exciting time. Most newly engaged women can certainly expect that their friends will all want to see their engagement ring and whether they want to admit it or not they know that all of their closest friends will either be comparing the ring to their own or speculating whether they might just get something a little bit bigger when they receive their own engagement ring. 
If you are a celebrity, however, the interest in your engagement ring becomes greatly compounded. Not only are your friends and relatives agog with interest over your ring but also the entire world as well.Recently there has been a practical rash of engagements and weddings in the celebrity world and as a result there has been an intense amount of interest given to various engagement rings donned by numerous stars. One of the most interesting cases occurred when Mariah Carey secretly married Nick Cannon. Carey appeared on the popular Ellen DeGeneres Show and began to discuss information about her top secret wedding. She also showed off her engagement ring, which is reported to be worth some $2.5 million. Carey was quick to point out on the show that she and her new husband designed one another’s rings. Nothing unusual about any of that, $2.5 for an engagement ring in the world of celebrities is hardly surprising. Neither is a custom designed engagement ring.
The real point of interest is that speculation has arisen that perhaps Carey’s ring was not an original. Prior to their marriage, Nick Cannon has previously been engaged to Selita Ebanks, a Victoria’s Secret model. Like many engagements, it did not work out, and Selita returned the engagement ring Nick had given her. The diamond engagement ring which Mariah Carey recently began sporting bore a striking resemblance to the ring which Selita Ebanks originally wore and later returned to Cannon once the engagement was called off.
The situation immediately sparked questions regarding whether it was acceptable to present a ‘used’ or ‘secondhand’ engagement ring to a new love. The question of whether an engagement ring is returned upon the ending of an engagement varies. In some cases, it may depend on which party called off the engagement. Many women feel as though they should keep the ring if the man calls off the engagement but return it if they are the one to end the engagement. If the ring that was presented with the proposal is a family heirloom, it is generally accepted that the ring will be returned in the event the engagement is called off by either party. In either case, there has definitely been speculation regarding what is acceptable to do with an engagement ring when it is in fact returned. Many weighing in on the issue have felt that it is perfectly acceptable to reuse the engagement ring if it was a family heirloom. In other instances, consumers have felt that an engagement ring should not be re-used under any circumstances.
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