Royal Engagement Rings

When you are famous or come from royalty, you can’t propose marriage with just any engagement ring. While truly it is the thought that counts, it’s also about choosing or creating the perfect engagement ring that represents the relationship and the love that is shared.

Queen Elizabeth""s engagement ring became a family affair. Prince Philip received diamonds from his mother, Princess Andrew of Greece. It was recommended he use a good jeweler in London, Philip Antrobus Ltd. The engagement ring that was made was directed more towards a personal statement, not a flashy show offering. Basically, it had a small center stone for the future queen of England. It had a 3-carat round diamond, surrounded by five smaller diamonds that were set in platinum. On July 8, 1947, when Queen Elizabeth was asked for her hand in marriage, the ring was too big to fit her finger. It took two days to resize the ring for Queen Elizabeth and was showcased at the Buckingham Palace garden on July 10, 1947. This was where the ring was first showcased when they officially announced their engagement.

The legendary Philly producer, Michael Todd, purchased a 29.4-carat Emerald cut diamond engagement ring for Elizabeth Taylor in 1956. Elizabeth Taylor was in the process of divorcing Michael Wilding and claimed the ring was just a friendship ring. Todd joked with the media how the engagement ring was not quite 30 carats, just 29.5 carats. On February 2, 1957 Taylor referred to the diamond engagement ring several times as “my ice skating rink” in Acapulco Mexico.

In 1903, Franklin Roosevelt proposed to Eleanor Roosevelt when she was just 19 years old. Eleanor Roosevelt was Franklin""s fifth cousin. After Eleanor accepted Franklin""s proposal, Franklin went ring shopping at Tiffany""s in New York City. Franklin looked at a lot of ratings before choosing a 3.4-carat cushion- shaped diamond set in a golden ring with diamond and platinum details. On October 11, 1904, Franklin gave Eleanor her engagement ring on her birthday. Impressed by the beauty of the ring, Eleanor wrote Franklin a letter saying, "You could not have found a ring I would have liked better."

Contributing Abazias Staff Writer

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