When it comes to engagement rings, size has always mattered, but there’s no question we’re currently living in the age of bigger is better. Look no further than colossal 30-carat oval diamond engagement ring recently presented by soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo to his longtime love Georgina Rodriguez.
Rodriguez shared her just-engaged ring selfie on her Instagram last week. The price tag for this oversized engagement ring is said to in the neighbourhood of a cool $30 million; the centre stone is so massive it takes up at least a third of the bride-to-be’s ring finger. This raised an immediate question: Can a diamond engagement ring actually be too big? The internet had major feels on this, and it seems the populist answer is yes it can.
There’s no doubt this epic sparkler has certainly made Rodriguez’ engagement ring legendary, and one of the most noteworthy of the past 25 years. We recently took a look back at some of this centuries most iconic brides so it only seems fitting now to revisit some of the most famous engagement rings of our times.
Hailey Bieber
Bieber’s engagement ring took the oval cut diamond engagement ring to the top of the charts back in 2018, and it remains the most popular stone shape for an engagement ring today. Bieber now also has two of them. Bieber’s first engagement ring starred a huge diamond estimated to weigh between six and 10 carats. Last year when photos of a vow renewal between Hailey and Justin in Hawaii were revealed, so too was a new engagement ring on her finger, also an oval-cut stone which is set similarly to her OG ring on an ultra-thin gold band, but the diamond is nearly double the size weighing in at a whopping 18 carats.
Meghan Markle
Prince Harry proposed to Markle in the fall of 2017 and the ring was a three-stone dazzler with incredible personal meaning. The star of the engagement ring is a three-carat carat cushion cut centre diamond which Harry personally sourced from Botswana, a spot dear to the couple’s heart as it was the location for one of their first dates. The ring’s two smaller side stones were repurposed from a bracelet that once belonged to Princess Diana. Since the couple’s royal wedding in 2018, Markle has made a few changes to her ring adding a micro pave diamond band in 2019, and she may have tweaked it again recently as the centre stone appears to be larger and a slightly different shape.
Zendaya
The year 2025 kicked off with Zendaya appearing at the Golden Globes with a shiny new bauble on her ring finger which had us all wondering did beau Tom Holland pop the question? He did, and the starlet said yes to a five-carat cushion cut diamond ring which Holland created with British jewelry designer Jessica McCormack. What makes this ring a standout is the striking east-west setting of the oval diamond. This setting is an unconventional choice and gives this ring an air of both modernity and old-world elegance which is perfectly on brand with Zendaya’s always-inspiring personal style.
Megan Fox
We can credit Fox’s engagement ring from Machine Gun Kelly for making the Toi et Moi engagement ring a major thing. MKG proposed to Fox in early 2022 with an incredible diamond and emerald ring that featured two large pear-shaped stones—an emerald and a diamond—set on double micro pave band. When MGK posted the engagement news on Instagram his caption described the design inspo behind he helped design: “The emerald (her birth stone) and the diamond (my birth stone) set on two magnetic bands of thorns that draw together as two halves of the same soul forming the obscure heart that is our love.” The couple ended up splitting before making it down the aisle, hopefully Fox kept that incredible ring.
Jennifer Lopez
When Ben Affleck and Lopez first got together over 20 years ago the actor proposed with one of the most buzzed about engagement rings that’s still swoonworthy today. The famous ring was a 6.1-carat radiant cut pink diamond from Harry Winston. Pink diamonds are exceedingly rare and breathtakingly beautiful which is what made this ring such a moment. This piece became a pop culture moment back in 2002 and redefined the idea of what an engagement ring was thanks to its dazzling coloured stone. For their second engagement, Affleck went the exotic route with the stone choice once again presenting her with an even more rare green diamond that weighed 8.5 carats. It goes without saying that J.Lo’s rock collection (there were four other engagements) truly is second to none.
Catherine Middleton
The Princess of Wales wears one of the world’s most famous vintage engagement rings. Crafted in 1981 and designed by Prince Charles with British jeweler Garrard, this ring was famously presented by the Prince to Lady Diana Spencer upon their engagement. The ring features a 12-carat sapphire set in a halo of 14 brilliant solitaire diamonds, and the antique look of the engagement ring was said to be inspired by a sapphire brooch commissioned by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria to wear on their wedding day in 1840. When William proposed to Kate with his mother’s beloved ring in 2010 we all swooned because this ring is absolutely one for the ages; we love seeing it live on as part of the love story of the future king and queen.
RELATED:
– The 6 Most Iconic Brides Of The 2000s
