The 10 Most Beautiful Engagement Rings of All Time

An engagement ring becomes famous for a reason. Some define the design vocabulary of the decade they were given in. Some carry the weight of royal family lineage. Some quietly resurface on the hand of the next generation. The famous engagement rings in this list have done all three at various points, and almost every one of them has influenced what walks into our Mt Hawthorn studio in Perth at some stage across the past two decades.

We have set bespoke engagement rings for clients across Western Australia since 2007, and we still see briefs that begin “something like Blake Lively’s engagement ring” or “Kate’s sapphire ring but smaller.” The cultural pull of these celebrity rings is real, and the design lessons in each one are worth pulling apart properly. Here is our list of the best celebrity engagement rings of all time, with a working jeweller’s commentary on each ring, plus a brief look at the historical figures who shaped the modern diamond engagement ring tradition.

What Makes An Engagement Ring Beautiful

Beauty in an engagement ring sits across four factors that interact more than buyers usually expect.

The first is the quality of the centre stone. Cut precision drives sparkle more than colour or clarity alone, and a well-cut diamond at a modest grade will outperform a poorly cut stone at a higher grade almost every time. Whether the focal point is an emerald cut diamond, an oval cut diamond, a round cut diamond, a pear shaped diamond or a cushion cut diamond, the cut grade does most of the visual work.

The second is the design of the setting. The relationship between the centre stone, the gallery underneath, the shoulders of the band and the side stones determines whether the ring reads balanced or busy. Three stone rings with tapered baguette diamonds, diamond halo configurations, hidden halos, classic solitaires and pavé bands all carry different visual weight, and the right format depends on the wearer rather than fashion trends.

The third is the metal. A yellow gold band reads warm and traditional. A white gold or platinum band leans cool and modern. A rose gold band flatters most skin tones and has become the most-requested metal at our Mt Hawthorn studio over the past decade.

The fourth is personal meaning. A ring built around a family heirloom diamond, engraved with a date, or shaped to nest against the wearer’s grandmother’s wedding band carries weight no off-the-shelf piece can match.

A Brief History: From Queen Victoria To Today

Diamond engagement rings as we know them began with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. When Albert proposed in 1839, he gave Victoria a serpent-shaped ring with an emerald centre rather than a diamond, but their broader love of diamond jewellery (Albert designed several of Victoria’s diamond pieces himself) helped cement the diamond’s place in royal and aristocratic engagements through the rest of the nineteenth century.

The diamond engagement ring went mainstream during the late Victorian and Edwardian eras as South African diamond discoveries from the 1860s onward expanded supply. By the mid-twentieth century, after De Beers’ 1947 “A Diamond Is Forever” campaign, the traditional diamond engagement ring had become the standard expression of a romantic proposal across the Western world.

Other royal engagement rings have shaped the conversation since. Princess Alice of Battenberg (Prince Philip’s mother) wore a series of jewels that influenced later British royal jewellery. Princess Margaret’s 1955 ring set a tone that Grace Kelly’s 1956 Cartier piece carried forward. Princess Diana’s 1981 sapphire ring marked the moment coloured stones moved from exception to mainstream choice in modern engagement rings.

Today the engagement ring market is broader than ever: traditional diamond rings sit alongside coloured stone settings, pink diamond pieces from the East Kimberley region of Western Australia, lab grown alternatives and one-of-a-kind bespoke commissions. The rings below represent the pieces that have shaped how Perth couples think about their own engagement rings.

Grace Kelly’s Cartier Emerald Cut

The engagement ring Prince Rainier of Monaco gave Grace Kelly in 1956 is the piece that sets the template for almost every emerald cut three stone ring made since. The centre stone is a 10.48 carat emerald cut diamond, flanked by two tapered baguette diamonds, mounted on a clean platinum band by Cartier. The design draws on a brooch that had belonged to Queen Victoria, which connects the piece directly to British royal jewellery tradition.

Estimates place Grace Kelly’s ring’s current value above USD 25 million, but its real influence is the design vocabulary it created. The emerald cut diamond paired with tapered baguette side stones became the dominant art deco-leaning engagement ring format of the late twentieth century. We still build new versions of this configuration regularly at our Perth studio, usually for couples who have spotted the format in vintage jewellery magazines and traced it back to Grace Kelly without realising they had.

The lesson in Grace’s ring is that quiet design carries longer than busy design. The platinum setting is almost transparent. The metal stays out of the way. The diamonds do all the work.

Princess Diana’s Sapphire Ring (Now Kate Middleton’s)

The 12 carat oval blue sapphire that Prince Charles gave Princess Diana on their engagement in 1981 is the ring that single-handedly normalised coloured stones in modern Western engagement rings. The sapphire is surrounded by 14 small white diamonds and set on an 18 carat white gold band by Garrard, the British royal family’s traditional jeweller.

Original valuation in 1981 sat at £28,000. Estimates now place the sapphire ring close to USD 500,000, though the cultural value is well beyond the figure. Prince William gave the same original ring to Catherine, now Princess of Wales, in 2010, which kept the piece in royal circulation rather than in a vault. Kate Middleton has been wearing it on her left ring finger ever since.

The lesson for our studio briefs is that the Diana ring proved coloured stones could read as serious rather than novelty. Sapphire rings, ruby rings, emerald rings and Australian pink centre stone commissions have all benefited from the cultural permission Diana’s ring quietly granted. Forty-five years on, we still set blue sapphires from Sri Lanka and Madagascar against white diamond halo configurations in homages to the original.

Elizabeth Taylor’s Krupp Diamond

Elizabeth Taylor’s engagement ring from Richard Burton in 1968 is the Krupp Diamond: a 33.19 carat Asscher cut diamond named after the Krupp family of German industrialists who originally owned it. Burton bought the stone at auction for USD 305,000, and Elizabeth Taylor wore it almost daily for the rest of her life. After her death the ring sold for USD 8.8 million through Christie’s in 2011.

The Asscher cut is one of the more technically demanding shapes to set well. The step faceting reveals inclusions that brilliant cuts would mask, which is why the clarity grade on a diamond ring of this scale matters more than it would on a round cut. The Krupp is graded D colour, internally flawless: the highest grade across both factors, which is part of why the Elizabeth Taylor diamond remains one of the most famous engagement rings of all time.

We see Asscher cut requests come and go through our studio in waves, usually after public auction sales like the Krupp’s hammer in 2011 reset the conversation around the cut. Most clients commissioning Asscher cut engagement rings today choose stones between 1.5 and 3 carats, with the larger sizes typically held back for milestone anniversary pieces rather than first engagement rings.

Beyoncé’s 18 Carat Emerald Cut

Jay-Z proposed to Beyoncé in 2008 with an 18 carat emerald cut diamond ring designed by Lorraine Schwartz, set in a low-profile split-shank platinum setting. The ring is reportedly valued around USD 5 million, and the simplicity of the setting against the scale of the centre stone is what gives the piece its distinct character.

The technical observation worth making is that a 18 carat emerald cut diamond on a clean platinum band leaves nowhere to hide. There is no halo, no pavé, no surrounding work to draw the eye away from the centre stone. The cut precision, the colour, the clarity and the proportions all have to be exact because they are all you see.

For couples briefing us on emerald cut engagement rings inspired by Beyoncé’s piece, the conversation usually narrows quickly to either a clean solitaire format with a substantial centre stone, or a smaller centre with a hidden halo and split-shank band that captures the architecture without the carat weight. Both formats work; the budget conversation tends to settle which direction.

Blake Lively’s Rose Gold Oval

Ryan Reynolds proposed to Blake Lively in 2012 with a 12 carat large oval cut diamond on a thin yellow gold pavé band, also by Lorraine Schwartz. Blake Lively’s engagement ring is credited within the trade as the single biggest driver of the oval cut’s surge in popularity across the 2010s, and we saw the shift in real time at our Perth studio.

In the two years following Blake’s engagement, oval cut diamond requests at the studio increased noticeably. The elongated shape flatters most fingers, reads larger on the hand than a round brilliant of the same carat weight, and pairs particularly well with rose gold band settings. Blake’s choice of rose gold over the more traditional platinum or white gold band was also part of the influence; rose gold engagement ring commissions have stayed well above their pre-2012 levels at our studio ever since.

The lesson is that one well-photographed celebrity ring can shift fashion trends across an entire decade. We still build Blake-inspired oval cut rose gold engagement rings several times each year for Perth clients who first saw the format on her hand.

Jennifer Lopez’s Rare Green Diamond

Ben Affleck proposed to Jennifer Lopez in 2022 (their second engagement, twenty years after the first) with an 8.5 carat natural green diamond ring sourced through Ilan Portugali at Beverly Hills Diamonds and set by Tamara Rahaminov and Nicol Goldfiner at Rahaminov Diamonds. The colour holds personal meaning for Lopez; green has appeared at various pivotal moments in her career and personal life.

Natural green diamonds are among the rarest coloured diamonds on earth. The colour develops through natural radiation exposure during the diamond’s slow rise through the earth’s crust, with most green diamonds carrying the colour only as a thin surface layer rather than full body colour. A genuinely saturated 8.5 carat green diamond ring sits at the very top of the rarity scale, well above almost any other coloured diamond category.

We rarely see green diamond requests at the studio because the supply is so limited. When clients ask for unusual coloured stone commissions, we more often work through Western Australian pink diamonds (from the now-closed East Kimberley source) with their large pink center stone potential, fancy yellow diamonds, or Australian sapphires in green tones, which deliver similar visual impact at significantly more accessible price points.

Mariah Carey’s 35 Carat Emerald Cut

James Packer proposed to Mariah Carey in 2016 with a 35 carat emerald cut diamond ring set by Wilfredo Rosado, valued at around USD 10 million. The engagement did not last, and the ring eventually sold privately to a buyer outside the entertainment industry, but the piece remains one of the largest carat emerald cut engagement rings ever publicly worn.

The interesting design note is that 35 carats is well beyond the territory most people associate with engagement rings. At that scale, the piece functions more as an investment-grade gemstone with a platinum setting attached than as wedding jewellery in the conventional sense. The wearability conversation shifts considerably; a 35 carat emerald cut requires very specific lifestyle accommodation, including secure storage, careful day-to-day wear, and dedicated insurance.

For Perth clients commissioning emerald cut engagement rings, the practical sweet spot for daily wear sits closer to 1.5 to 3 carats. Above that range, we usually recommend a separate everyday ring alongside the larger statement piece, because life with a 5 carat plus emerald cut diamond on the hand involves more thought than most couples expect.

Kim Kardashian’s Cushion Cut

Kanye West proposed to Kim Kardashian in 2013 with a 15 carat cushion cut diamond ring by Lorraine Schwartz, marketed at the time as “the perfect cushion cut diamond.” The setting was a clean platinum solitaire with a thin pavé band, and the ring became one of the most photographed celebrity engagement rings of the 2010s.

The piece was stolen during the 2016 Paris robbery and has never resurfaced. The replacement ring Kanye gave Kim shortly afterwards was a 20 carat emerald cut diamond, set in a similar low-profile style.

The cushion cut diamond comparison worth making is between modern brilliance cushions (larger facets, defined flashes of light, sharper sparkle) and crushed ice cushions (smaller facets, continuous shimmer, softer light return). Kim’s original ring was modern brilliance. Both styles have their advocates, and we lay them out side by side at the studio for clients still deciding. The modern brilliance pattern tends to read closer to a round cut in light behaviour; crushed ice cushions sit closer to an emerald cut in character despite being a brilliant cut.

Meghan Markle’s Trilogy Ring

Prince Harry designed Meghan Markle’s engagement ring himself, with a 3 carat cushion-cut centre diamond from Botswana flanked by two diamonds from Princess Diana’s personal collection, set on a yellow gold band. The trilogy structure carries direct family meaning, with two of the three stones literally inherited from his mother’s collection.

The original ring was an upgraded engagement ring in 2019, with a thin yellow gold pavé band added beneath the trio, which modernised the silhouette without disturbing the original meaning of the three stones. Meghan began wearing the new ring publicly later that year.

For Perth clients bringing heirloom diamonds into new commissions (a brief we run several times each month at the studio), Meghan Markle’s three stone ring is one of the strongest visual references we use. The trilogy format absorbs inherited side stones particularly well, especially when those stones vary slightly in size, colour or cut from the new centre stone. The differences read as character rather than mismatch because each stone carries its own story.

Amal Clooney’s Emerald Cut From George

George Clooney proposed to Amal Alamuddin in 2014 with a 7 carat emerald cut diamond ring flanked by two tapered baguette diamonds, set in a clean platinum ring band. The configuration follows the same design vocabulary established by Grace Kelly’s 1956 Cartier ring, which is a deliberate echo rather than accident.

Estimated value sits around £640,000, with the centre stone graded as a near-flawless D or E colour. The design works because the emerald cut diamond and the tapered baguette diamonds are proportioned correctly relative to each other; the side stones lift the centre rather than competing with it. Get the proportions wrong and the ring reads imbalanced.

We use Amal’s ring more often than Grace Kelly’s as a reference in studio consultations, partly because the photography is more recent and partly because the proportions translate better at the carat weights most Perth clients commission. A 1.5 to 2.5 carat emerald cut centre with tapered baguettes scaled in proportion runs to a fraction of Amal’s ring’s value while keeping the visual language intact.

Other Notable Celebrity Engagement Rings

Beyond the ten rings above, several others deserve quick mention as celebrity engagement rings that have shifted fashion trends or influenced bespoke briefs at our studio.

Hailey Bieber’s engagement ring from Justin Bieber in 2018 is an elongated oval cut diamond ring on a thin yellow gold band, designed by Jack Solow at Solow & Co. The proportions of Hailey’s stone (around 6 carats with a long ratio) reset interest in stretched oval centres beyond the more rounded ovals Blake Lively had popularised earlier.

Megan Fox’s engagement ring from Machine Gun Kelly in 2022 is a custom toi et moi ring (literally “you and me” in French) featuring two diamonds set side by side: a pear shaped diamond and an emerald cut diamond representing each partner’s birthstone. The toi et moi format (sometimes referred to as a moi ring in shortened conversation) has roots going back to Napoleon’s proposal to Joséphine de Beauharnais in 1796, and Megan’s piece reignited interest in the configuration almost overnight. We have built several toi et moi commissions at the studio since, usually pairing a diamond with a coloured gemstone of personal significance.

Victoria Beckham’s original engagement ring from David Beckham in 1998 was a marquise cut diamond on a yellow gold band. Famously, Victoria has been gifted at least fifteen different engagement rings across their marriage, ranging through emerald cut, oval cut, pear cut diamonds and elaborate diamond halo configurations. The ongoing series has become part of high society jewellery conversation.

Other rings worth mentioning include Eva Longoria’s 7 carat pear cut diamond from José Bastón, Margot Robbie’s understated 3 carat round cut diamond ring on a thin platinum band, and Sofia Vergara’s massive 7 carat emerald cut diamond from Joe Manganiello.

Each of these celebrity rings has at some point shaped a Perth client’s brief at our studio.

Customer Notes From The Studio

A bride from Mullaloo came to our studio after seeing Blake Lively’s rose gold band oval on a magazine cover. We built her a 1.8 carat large oval cut diamond engagement ring on a thin pavé rose gold band, with a small inherited sapphire from her grandmother set into the gallery as a hidden detail under the centre stone. She wears it every day on her left ring finger.

A client from Subiaco brought in three smaller diamonds from her late father’s signet ring and asked for a trilogy three stone ring inspired by Meghan Markle’s piece. We sourced a 1.5 carat cushion cut centre to match the inherited side stones and built the new ring in 18 carat yellow gold, with the wedding date hand-engraved inside the band. Both stones from her father sit beside the new centre, which means three generations of the family will eventually wear this single piece.

Another commission, this one for a couple from Wembley, was inspired directly by Megan Fox’s toi et moi ring. The wearer wanted a pear shaped diamond paired with a Western Australian pink centre stone in a side-by-side moi ring format. We sourced the pink through our specialist dealer network and built the ring in platinum with a hidden milgrain edge along the inside of the band. The proposal happened on a beach in Margaret River.

These commissions are why we do this work. Celebrity rings catch the eye, but the rings we remember most at the studio are the ones with personal weight behind them.

Bringing Celebrity Inspiration To Your Own Ring

Inspiration from a famous engagement ring is a starting point, not the destination. The version we build for you at our Mt Hawthorn studio will differ from the original in carat weight, metal alloy, setting proportions and budget, and that difference is usually what makes the ring feel like yours rather than a replica.

Our process moves from inspiration photographs through sketches, CAD renderings and approvals before any metal is cast. We work primarily in 18 carat gold (75% pure gold) and 950 platinum, with diamonds sourced through long-standing Australian and international suppliers carrying GIA, IGI or AGS certification. Build times for bespoke engagement rings run six to ten weeks from first consultation, with longer lead times for specific stone sourcing, large pink centre stone commissions or hand-engraved detail.

The first consultation costs nothing and carries no obligation. Bring the photographs that caught your eye, an honest sense of your budget, and any inherited stones you want incorporated. Whether you are drawn to Grace Kelly’s quiet sophistication, Blake Lively’s rose gold band warmth, Meghan Markle’s three stone ring meaning, Princess Diana’s sapphire ring drama, or the toi et moi format Megan Fox helped revive, we can shape the design around the wearer rather than the celebrity reference.

Begin Your Bespoke Engagement Ring

Whether you are drawn to the architectural restraint of Amal Clooney’s emerald cut, the rose gold warmth of Blake Lively’s oval, the family meaning of Meghan Markle’s trilogy, or any of the most famous engagement rings on this list, the path to your own version of the ring starts with a conversation at our Mt Hawthorn studio. We will walk through the design options, source the centre stone to suit, and build a ring shaped around the wearer rather than the Hollywood star reference.

Begin Your Bespoke Engagement Ring at 145 Scarborough Beach Road, Mt Hawthorn, or call us on (08) 9481 0548 to arrange a private appointment to discuss your ideal celebrity-inspired bespoke creation.