by Lisa Mahapatra
(1) Aishwariya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan
It wasn’t Abhishek, who picked out the gorgeous diamond studded sapphire engagement ring for Ash. It is believed that Tina Ambani, Anil Ambani’s wife and a close friend of the Bachchans, who chose the ring from selection at a jewelry store at Breach Candy. Sources say the ring cost a whopping Rs. 50 lakh.
(2) Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra
When Shilpha Shetty got engaged to one of the richest Indians, it showed. Raj Kundra, a London- based businessman, had already showered Shilpa with pricey bling, including a 14 carat stone, which the actress was often seen flaunting. And that was just a preview of things to come. The engagement ring that Kundra slipped on Shilpa’s finger was even larger and more ostentatious — it was a flawless 20-carat diamond!
(3) Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem
The fiercely private couple is still playing coy about whether or not they are getting married. But, going by the huge sapphire diamond engagement ring Penelope has been sporting since late last year, it looks like the lovebirds might soon tie the knot. As for the ring, Javier might have taken inspiration from Princess Diana’s engagement ring as it is quite similar to the one that Penelope is sporting.
(4) Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise
When leading man Tom Cruise proposed to leading lady Katie Holmes at the appropriately romantic Eiffel Tower, he gave her a really big diamond. The engagement ring was a 5-carat oval-shaped diamond set in platinum and rose gold with a large center stone bedded in a pave setting. The remarkable platinum-rose gold setting added to the antique style of the ring.
(5) Worlds most expensive engagement ring
The most expensive celebrity diamond engagement ring is the one Paris Kasidokostas Latsis gave to Paris Hilton when he proposed to her in 2005. The couple tied the nuptial knot where he proposed with a 24-carat white diamond engagement ring. It had a huge emerald cut cubic zirconium center stone and flanked by two trillion in white gold. The engagement itself was inversely proportional to the size of the diamond on the engagement ring-the couple broke things off a mere five months into the engagement.
Paris Hilton later auctioned off this $4.7 million engagement ring for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The winning bidder got a bargain for the ring at less than half the price Paris Latsis paid for it.
