Engagement Ring Rich List
When it comes to the lifestyles of the rich and famous they take engagement rings to the next level. The traditional rule is to spend three months' salary on an engagement ring, but if you are a member of the royal family or a celebrity then the rule book is officially out of the window.
Here at HandT - Shop Online we recommend choosing something personal and unique like vintage engagement rings which pass on a history of love. But as A listers continue to push the boat out we wanted to value some of the most iconic engagement rings from the UK and the states, delving deeper into the most expensive rings, celebrity styles and royal rings.
The top ten most expensive engagement rings
| # | Celebrity | Ring Cut | Carat | Cost (£) |
| 1 | Mariah Carey | Emerald | 35 | £7,800,000 |
| 2 | Elizabeth Taylor | Asscher | 33 | £6,864,000 |
| 3 | Beyonce | Emerald | 18 | £3,900,000 |
| 4 | Jennifer Lopez | Emerald | 20 | £3,510,000 |
| 5 | Grace Kelly | Emerald | 10.47 | £3,166,800 |
| 6 | Kim Kardashian | Emerald | 20 | £3,120,000 |
| 7 | Jennifer Lopez | Princess | 8.5 | £2,965,000 |
| 8 | Cardi B | Pear | 8 | £2,925,000 |
| 9 | Melania Trump | Emerald | 15 | £2,340,000 |
| 10 | Victoria Beckham | Pear | 17 | £2,000,000 |
Across the board, celebrities come up top for owning the most expensive engagement rings with the queen of diva’s Mariah Carey topping the list with her 35 carat emerald cut ring. Rumoured to cost £7,800,000 the ring was designed by Wilfredo Rosado, world class ring designer and close friend of Mariah - it’s just a shame she can’t rock the ring now, as her engagement to James Packer was called off in 2016.
Not far behind is the enigmatic Elizabeth Taylor whose Asscher cut diamond is estimated to be worth £6,864,000. Given to her by Richard Burton who she married twice in her lifetime. Alike Carey, popstar Beyonce also favours an emerald cut, proposed to by Jay Z with an 18-carat diamond ring made by bespoke jewellery maker Lorraine Schwartz, worth £3,900,000.
Popular ring cuts of the rich and famous
When it comes to ring styles it is clear which ring cuts the rich and famous prefer. Cut refers to the shape of the stone, giving the ring its own unique shape and style.
Emerald Cut
One of the most timeless cuts, the Emerald cut is the most popular among both royalty and celebrities. The rectangular cut creates perfect clarity and twinkling reflections. A favourite of the pop elite Beyonce, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez.
Oval Cut
One of the most popular among the rich and famous, the Oval cut is commonly used with shallow diamonds. Due to its long shape having an Oval cut engagement ring really elongates the finger and creates an elegant silhouette. Favoured by royalty including Princess Diana and Kate Middleton, where the famous sapphire is surrounded by 14 solitaire diamonds.
Asscher Cut
Complete with beautiful and mesmerising reflections, an Asscher cut is unusual with cropped corners that add depth to its shape. Famous fingers such as Elizabeth Taylor and Pippa Middleton have donned Asscher cut engagement rings, proving that this unique cut stands the test of time.
Pear Cut
The trend in Pear cut engagement rings is fairly new, it’s sophisticated shape bringing classic style into modern rings. From Cardi B, Ciara, Margot Robbie and Victoria Beckham this elegant ring cut is proving to be the new favourite.
A closer look at the royal rings
Looking at the royal family and their stunning engagement rings it is hard to make comparisons in such elegance. But looking purely at their characteristics there are some interesting similarities.
Kate’s engagement ring is more expensive in comparison to Meghan’s, but each holds sentimental value as they honour Prince William’s late mother, Princess Diana.
Kate Middleton is honoured to wear her famous oval cut sapphire as her engagement ring while Meghan’s engagement ring boasts a trilogy of stones, a stunning central diamond ethically sourced from Botswana, where the couple previously vacationed together. The beautiful stone is surrounded by two smaller diamonds, from Princess Diana’s collection. Tying her into her younger son’s engagement too.
Princess Beatrice vs Pippa Middleton
When it comes to Princess Beatrice’s engagement ring, tradition was thrown out of the window when husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi used contemporary jewellery designer Shaun Leane. The ring features a beautiful centre stone flanked by smaller diamonds and tapered baguettes worth £78,000.
Pippa Middleton’s ring on the other hand has an estimated value of £250,000. Inspiring the trend for untraditional engagement rings, her quarter of a million pound engagement ring is surging the popularity of Asscher cut rings.
Princess Diana vs Lady Camilla
Created by historic luxury jewellery designer, Garrad, Princess Diana’s engagement ring was unusual in the 1980s and still stands as a unique engagement ring today. Purchased for £28,000 the ring is now rumoured to be worth £390,000 whilst remaining an icon within the royal family as Kate Middleton’s engagement ring.
But this isn’t the only family heirloom, the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles’ engagement ring belonged to the Queen Mother but not much else is known about its history. It’s Emerald cut and classic design has an estimated value of £100,000.
Rings of reality
Engagement rings of British WAGs
WAGs, otherwise known as wives and girlfriends of high profile footballers, are known for sporting impressive engagement rings. Original WAG and Spice Girl Victoria Beckham is known to own at least 14 from husband David Beckham. Of all of Beckham’s collection, it is an impressive 17-carat Pear cut diamond engagement ring that cost a reported £2,000,000 that weighs down her ring finger.
Childhood sweethearts, Coleen and Wayne Rooney got engaged with a more modest 4-carat Emerald cut diamond ring but later replaced the ring on Coleen’s 21st birthday with a £200,000 10-carat diamond ring which she now wears on her engagement finger.
TV personality Abbey Clancy is married to former footballer Peter Crouch and rocks a Pear cut diamond ring valued at £200,000.
UK Reality Stars
Reality star Billie Faiers found fame on ‘The Only Way is Essex’ and continues to grow her reality empire with ‘The Mummy Diaries’ and as she is continuously in the public eye, so is her engagement ring. Estimated to be worth around £75,000 the 5-carat centre cut diamond set in platinum could not be more reflective. In comparison, ‘TOWIE’ co-star Lucy Meckleburgh’s Cushion cut yellow diamond ring is rumoured to be worth £70,000. Surrounded by Pear cut diamonds her engagement ring as well shows the shine of British reality stars when it comes to engagements.
However, ‘Love Island’ and ‘TOWIE’ star Olivia Attwood tops the charts with her £214,625 pear shaped diamond ring from footballer boyfriend Bradley Dack.
US Reality Stars
Unlike British reality stars, the US reality engagements top six figures with Kim Kardashian’s engagement ring to Kanye West worth an estimated $4,000,000 (£3,120,000). After the original was stolen in the infamous Paris robbery, jewellery designer Lorraine Schwartz created the couple a new ring with a nod to the original.
Interestingly, original US reality television stars, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie have also made the engagement ring rich list. Stars of the early 2000’s ‘The Simple Life’ are famous for many things, but their engagement rings are just as iconic. Rumoured to cost $2,000,000 (£1,560,000) Hilton’s ex-fiance Chris Zylka proposed with a 20-carat pear cut diamond. Richie’s engagement ring follows the art deco trend, coming from musician Joel Madden with a 4-carat diamond and an estimated worth of $175,000 (£136,500).
Then we have the latest show to sweep the globe, Netflix’s ‘Selling Sunset’ has brought reality stars and engagement rings to the forefront. Queen of the show Christine Quinn, is known to have an engagement ring that was custom made to sit amongst her wedding band and an ‘everyday ring’. The oval-shaped diamond in her main ring is valued to be worth over $1.9m (£1,510,990)
