The 13 Most Famous Engagement Rings of All Time

Like many of her fashion choices, Princess Diana’s engagement ring broke all Royal conventions. The piece, a 12 carat oval Ceylon sapphire ring accented by 14 round diamonds and set in white gold, was gifted to Diana by the then-Prince Charles in 1981.

That same year, the ring was featured in the Garrard Royal Jeweler’s catalog, meaning that the public could purchase a similar version to Diana’s ring for their own nuptials. They don’t call her the People’s Princess for nothing.

After Diana’s passing, her engagement ring was not worn in public until her eldest son Prince William used it to propose to Kate Middleton in October 2010. The sapphire ring is estimated to be worth between $300,000 and $520,000 and is inspired by a brooch Prince Albert gifted to Queen Victoria in 1840.

Considering Victoria Beckham has a grand total of 15 (!) engagement rings, it’s hard to narrow down her most impressive to just one. The fashion designer’s husband David first proposed with a three-carat marquise-cut diamond in 1998. In the years since, Victoria has swapped that band for everything from an oval-cut diamond (valued well north of $1.1 million) to a blinding cushion-cut emerald. Her most recent gift, from 2018, is a square-cut yellow diamond ring.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck just finalized their second divorce, but the singer and actress’s first engagement ring from the actor was one for the books. The 6.10 carat pink diamond with matching accent stones is reportedly worth over $12 million dollars. Lucky for J.Lo, she was able to keep the green cushion-cut diamond Ben gifted her upon their second engagement. That one’s reportedly worth $5 million.

Having been engaged ten times and married eight, Elizabeth Taylor was a woman of many talents and many engagement rings. Her most impressive ring, a 33 carat Krupp diamond from Welsh actor Richard Burton, fetched just under $9 million at a 2011 auction.

Like William, Prince Harry paid homage to his late mother with his 2017 engagement gift to Meghan Markle. Harry proposed to Meghan with a custom three-stone ring that featured two diamonds from Diana’s personal jewelry collection. The third stone, a cushion-cut center diamond from Botswana, commemorates the early parts of the couple’s relationship when they would visit the African country.

Grace Kelly’s enormous Cartier ring inspired countless celebrities to come (Beyoncé, Amal Clooney, and Anne Hathaway) and is even immortalized on the silver screen. The late princess wore the diamond during her final feature film performance in High Society.

Jay-Z dialed up the celebrity-favorite jeweler Lorraine Schwartz before popping the question to Beyoncé. The rapper settled on this Grace Kelly-inspired 24 carat emerald-cut diamond to gift to his bride. These days, Beyoncé rarely wears the piece. She and Jay-Z have matching “IV” tattoos instead.

Kanye West purchased two engagement rings for Kim Kardashian during their marriage. The second, a stunning 20 carat emerald-cut diamond worth $8 million, is believed to have been stolen during the Skims founder’s 2016 Paris robbery.

To this day, Jackie Kennedy’s Toi et moi, or “you and me,” piece remains one of the most unique engagement rings of all time, starting a trend of unconventional jewelry for brides to come. The First Lady’s husband John Kennedy purchased the stunner from the French jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels in 1953. A decade later, Jackie added marquise-cut diamonds to the sides of the ring. This style of ring features a two-tone setting, meant to resemble two lovers coming together.

Jackie’s second engagement ring from shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, a 40-carat Lesotho III diamond from Harry Winston, is also embedded in the history books.

Speaking of Toi et moi rings, Emily Ratajkowski brought back the historic design upon her engagement to Sebastian Bear-Mcclard in 2018. The couple went through 50 sketches of the ring before settling on a pear-shaped and princess-cut diamond nestled alongside one another. In 2024, the model split the piece into two separate “divorce rings.”

There are certain celebrity engagement rings, like Blake Lively’s diamond from her husband Ryan Reynolds, that spur jewelry trends for the masses. Lively’s Lorraine Schwartz ring is notable in its simplicity and features a 12 carat light pink diamond centered by a band of pave diamonds.

It’s no secret Mariah Carey likes nice things and her engagement ring from her ex-fiancé James Packer was very nice. Carey, however, decided to sell the dazzler (valued at $10 million) following their failed engagement.