My precious

The only way to follow a post about proposals is with one about engagement rings! Oh the bling bling that brightens up every little girl's dreams... Elizabeth Taylor nurtured those dreams from her earliest years. In the pages of My Love Affair With Jewellery she confides: "My mother says I didn’t open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw was her engagement ring. I was hooked!" Who wouldn't be, right?

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's start from the beginning:

1. Our number one ring is possibly the most famous engagement ring ever! Princess Diana's engagement ring, offered by Prince Charles (no, not the charming chap in the photo - that's John Travolta!) features a stunning deep blue sapphire, hugged by a halo of translucent diamonds. The ring has been passed down from mother to son, and now occupies it's rightful place on Princess Catherine's left hand.

2. Queen Victoria's engagement ring was a most unusual trend setter! At the time it was common for engagement rings to feature birthstones instead of diamonds. Victoria's beloved Albert fashioned her a snake shaped ring (symbol of eternal love) with an emerald encrusted on the head; it was the first known Victorian engagement ring. Hundreds of copies were made afterwards, such as the one shown in the link above.

3. When you hear the name Jackie Kennedy it is impossible not to think about her sense of style - yes I'm talking about that pink suit! However, it was not only her taste in garments that immortalised her style: her jewellery, and more importantly, her engagement ring, is one of the most expensive and beautiful rings ever made! Any attempt to describe the happy combination of emerald green, dark gold and crystalline diamond will be nothing but inadequate. To get a better idea just click on the link above.

4. And for those who prefer blondes we present you Marilyn's engagement ring, given to her by Joe DiMaggio. I must confess I was surprised. I was expecting a look-at-me kind of diamond, but maybe I misunderstood the starlet. However impressive and very expensive, I imagine, this ring has something very classic and discrete about it. Not your average blockbuster, eh?

5. Finally we are back to the beginning. Liz Taylor knew a lot about engagements and rings, but I bet that even in her wildest dreams she never dared to imagine herself owning a jewel such as the one her 5th husband, Richard Burton, offered her. The Krupp is not just a diamond ring. It is a 33.19-carat Asscher-cut flawless stone. Now that's worth a YES!

Image credits:

Queen Victoria: attribution - Roger Fenton [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons / source - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AQueen_Victoria_wedding_dress.jpg

Jackie Kennedy: attribution - By None [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons / source - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AJackie_Kennedy_on_her_wedding_day%2CRhode_Island%2CSeptember_12%2C_1953.jpg

Elizabeth Taylor: attribution - By Unknown photographer (eBay) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons / source - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AElizabeth_Taylor_portrait.jpg

Marilyn Monroe: attribution - By USMC Archives (Flickr: Marilyn Monroe, Korea, 1954) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons / source - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AMarilyn_Monroe%2C_Korea%2C_1954_(3).jpg

Princess Diana: attribution - By United States Federal Government [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons / source - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AJohn_Travolta_and_Princess_Diana.jpg