Where Are Jackie Kennedy’s Engagement Rings Now? (2024)
Toi et moi engagement rings, composed of two stones set on a single band, have been around for centuries (they date back to Napoleonic times). Though they’ve surged in popularity in recent years, they were actually put back on the map a few decades ago by Jackie Kennedy, who debuted her Van Cleef & Arpels rock—complete with a 2.88-carat diamond and a 2.84-carat emerald nestled together on a baguette-studded band—in the 1950s, reports Vogue. The bauble has a unique origin story (then-Senator John F. Kennedy didn’t actually use it to propose) and a mysterious history; per The Adventurine, the future first lady wasn’t pictured wearing it all that much—and she ultimately redesigned it before she stopped wearing it altogether in the wake of John's death. But what happened to the two-stone stunner? Luckily, we know exactly where it is now—and the same is true for Jackie’s second engagement ring, a 40.4-carat diamond that Aristotle Onassis gave her before they married in 1968.
Key Takeaways
Jackie Kennedy received three engagement rings in her lifetime—and we know the general whereabouts about two of them.
Her original engagement ring from John F. Kennedy, a toi et moi style composed of a diamond and emerald stone from Van Cleef & Arpels, was redesigned in the 1960s; today, it can be found on display at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.
Jackie rarely wore the 40-carat Harry Winston engagement ring Aristotle Onassis gave her before their marriage in 1968. The rock was eventually sold at Sotheby's auction after her death, where it fetched over $2 million; though we know who placed the bid, the actual buyer remains anonymous to this day.
We'll start at the beginning: While working for a newspaper, Jackie met her first husband, a young senator from Massachusetts, at a party in 1952, and less than a year later, the couple was engaged. (During that time, Jackie broke off her first engagement to stockbroker John Husted Jr., who she met at Vassar College; she ultimately returned that engagement ring, which had diamonds and sapphires, reports People.) Little is known about the late president’s proposal; Boston’s Omni Hotel claims to have been the site of his knee-drop, and their website suggests that he actually had the toi et moi piece at the ready for the moment.
Writer Jay Mulvaney, however, wrote in Kennedy Weddings that Jackie and John selected the ring at a later date—and she didn’t regularly wear it during the couple’s short engagement (they tied the knot in Newport, Rhode Island, in September 1953, just three months after they announced their intention to wed). “Jack and I looked at dozens of them. Some I didn’t like and others weren’t the right type,” she said. According to an excerpt from Edward Klein’s All Too Human: The Love Story of Jack and Jackie Kennedy published in Vanity Fair, it was John’s father, Joseph Kennedy, who picked out the ring at the jewelry house’s Fifth Avenue store in New York City.
We don’t know when, exactly, Jackie acquired the engagement ring, which several outlets estimate was worth over $1 million at the time of its purchase—but we do know that she redesigned it at some point in the early 1960s (The Adventurine suggests that the piece’s revamp coincided with the White House renovation Jackie oversaw in 1961). The piece went back to Van Cleef & Arpels for the job; the jeweler replaced the baguettes on the sides with marquise-shaped diamonds, which better reflected the other jewelry she wore during that time period.
Jackie continued to wear the ring discreetly over the course of her and John’s 10-year long marriage, up until his assassination in 1963. As for where the piece is today? The emerald and diamond engagement ring lives with the other pieces in the late first lady’s preserved jewelry collection at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, where it occasionally goes on display.
Jackie received one more engagement ring—technically, her third—in her lifetime from her second husband Aristotle Onassis (who infamously first dated her sister, Lee). She and the shipping tycoon were long-time friends who knew each throughout the duration of her first marriage, reports Daily News. Their platonic relationship turned romantic about five years after John’s death during a trip to Greece in 1967; they were married in October 1968.
When Aristotle proposed, he did so with a positively massive stone, cementing Jackie's status as one of the wealthiest women in the world. Her 40-carat Lesotho III diamond ring was from Harry Winston—and she primarily kept the heirloom in a bank vault (she preferred to wear what she called her “swimming ring,” which later inspired her daughter-in-law Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s simple engagement piece). Following her death, the Lesotho diamond sold for $2.58 million at Sotheby’s auction in 1996; it had originally been valued at $600,000 by appraisers, according to the Los Angeles Times. It was bought by Albert and Felice Lippert, the founders of Weight Watchers, on behalf of an anonymous purchaser who was never identified—so there’s still some mystery surrounding its current status.
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The emerald and diamond engagement ring lives with the other pieces in the late first lady's preserved jewelry collection at the John F.Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, where it occasionally goes on display.
After Jackie had her ring redesigned, she continued her pattern of wearing it discreetly. Today, the jewel is among the former First Lady's possessions kept at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. Occasionally, the piece is put on display.
Jackie's second husband, Greek businessman Aristotle Onassis, presented her with a 40-carat emerald-cut diamond by Harry Winston, which she stored in a bank vault. The ring fetched $2.6 million at a 1996 auction, but today, it's worth about $20 million.
The future president knew his bride-to-be had a particular love for emeralds, and his choice in ring did not disappoint. Vintage art deco in style and worth over one million dollars in 1953, the iconic engagement ring featured a 2.88-carat emerald-cut diamond alongside a 2.84-carat emerald.
Kennedy Jr. tied the knot in a secret ceremony on Cumberland Island in Georgia on September 21, 1996. Much like her wedding gown and overarching personal style, Carolyn's engagement ring was simple and subtle.
According to reports, after her untimely death, both of Grace Kelly's engagement rings were given to the House of Grimaldi. Grace Kelly wore the ring until her tragic death in a car accident in 1982.
He said: 'I would like the ring back. I don't think that you deserve it because you should never have accepted my proposal. ' However, Jackie said she would be keeping the diamond ring, replying: 'Well, I'm gonna keep the ring because I accepted it because I wanted to marry you.
The most expensive celebrity engagement ring on our list is Mariah Carey's enormous 35 carat emerald-cut ring from billionaire fiancé James Packer. The ring was created by New York jeweler Wilfredo Rosado, who designed the ring to be as large and extravagant as possible.
It is believed that Meghan Markle's engagement ring cost Prince Harry around 305,000 Euros. This equates to around $350,000 US. Which is better for an engagement ring - cushion or round cut? Overall, the shape of the stone in your engagement ring depends on personal preference.
The ring features a three-stone design, symbolising the past, present, and future. The centre stone is a dazzling cushion-cut diamond sourced from Botswana, a country that holds special significance for Prince Harry and was the location of a pivotal point in Megan and Harry's courting period.
Kate Middleton's engagement ring is an oval Ceylon sapphire ring set in 18-karat white gold. The 12-carat sapphire is surrounded by an impressive 14 solitaire diamonds. It has astonishing history, and it was once given to Princess Diana by Prince Charles.
Jackie Kennedy's pink suit is more than just an outfit — it's a symbol of American history. The two-piece set — sometimes described as “watermelon pink” or “raspberry pink” — was what the then-first lady was wearing on Nov. 22, 1963 — the fateful day her husband, President John F.
Her original engagement ring from John F. Kennedy, a toi et moi style composed of a diamond and emerald stone from Van Cleef & Arpels, was redesigned in the 1960s; today, it can be found on display at the John F.Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.
She quit her PR job at Calvin Klein because of the attention she attracted from the paparazzi — especially after the press filmed a big fight between her and “John John” in Washington Square Park. “It's like I am a prey animal,” she told a friend about the constant cameras.
Her college friends confirmed that she had never worn jewelry, the reason being not to draw undue attention towards herself. The third thing Bessette-Kennedy strayed away from was mixed prints. She rarely wore prints, but if she did, she never wore more than one print at a time.
She died in her sleep from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in New York. Her funeral was on May 23, 1994. She was buried next to her first husband, President Kennedy, at Arlington National Cemetery. In 1999, she was named as one of Gallup's Most-Admired Men and Women of the 20th century.
The toi et moi ring meaning “you and me” is one of the most historic ring setting styles that symbolizes love stories and partnerships. This style first gained attention with a diamond and sapphire toi et moi ring that Napoleon Bonaparte gifted his wife Josephine de Beauharnais in 1796.
“James Kennedy showed a serious sign of commitment as he likely spent $100,000 on Raquel's engagement ring,” Fried, the CEO of The Diamond Pro, told Page Six Style. “Her six-prong solitaire is a quintessential design that will never go out of style,” he continued.
Introduction: My name is Aron Pacocha, I am a happy, tasty, innocent, proud, talented, courageous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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