When Ant McPartlin stepped out with his new fiancee recently, all eyes were on her stunning, 4ct, halo-set sparkler.
At a jaw-dropping £100,000, it was significantly flashier than the demure ring he had presented to his first wife, Lisa. Ouch!
But it seems to be a rite of passage in the celebrity world for men to dig deeper into their pockets the second or even third time round.
With the help of the bespoke jewellery team at London Diamonds, LIBBY GALVIN investigates who’s had the biggest engagement bling upgrades…
Ant’s upped the ante with Anne-Marie
When Ant McPartlin married make-up artist Lisa Armstrong in 2006, he’d been a TV stalwart for more than a decade — and Lisa had been by his side as his girlfriend for most of that time.
He repaid her loyalty by investing an estimated £30,000 to £40,000 of his I’m A Celebrity cash in what looks to be a pear-shaped 3ct diamond ring with tapering baguettes, say the London Diamonds team. The couple split in 2018.
Ant’s latest love, Anne-Marie Corbett, started out as his PA — but it seems he needed no assistance in spending at least £100,000 on the 4ct to 5ct solitaire diamond surrounded by a halo of smaller stones, which he presented to her on Christmas Eve.
The ring Ant McPartlin gave Lisa Armstrong (left) is estimated to have been between £30,000 to £40,000 compared to the one he gave his new fiancee Anne-Marie (right), estimated to be worth £100,00
A glittering gift from smart Alec
Alec Baldwin met Kim Basinger on the set of The Marrying Man in 1990, and three years later became a married man himself, after giving her a simple and classic 3.7ct solitaire ring.
Unlike most celebrity rings, we know everything about this Tiffany beauty, because after their acrimonious divorce in 2002, Kim auctioned the piece for charity at Christie’s.
It went for around £44,000, though the London Diamonds team say it would cost around £75,000 to recreate today.
Even so, Alec’s second wife Hilaria has won this battle of the bling — in 2012 he bought her a 5ct solitaire with a channel-set diamond band, costing in the region of £150,000.
The classic 3.7ct solitaire ring Alec Baldwin gave his ex-wife Kim Basinger sold at auction for £75k compared to the ring he got his wife Hilaria, a 5ct solitaire with a channel-set diamond band, costing in the region of £150,000
The classic 3.7ct solitaire ring Alec Baldwin gave his ex-wife Kim Basinger sold at auction for £75k compared to the ring he got his wife Hilaria, a 5ct solitaire with a channel-set diamond band, costing in the region of £150,000
Sparkling sequel by Top Gun
In 2005, Tom Cruise memorably declared his love for Katie Holmes by jumping all over Oprah Winfrey’s couch like an excited child — and his enthusiasm didn’t end there.
He was clearly just as passionate when visiting the jeweller’s, where he splashed out on a 5ct oval diamond with double claws and a vintage-style, rose gold setting, which London Diamonds say should have cost Tom up to £200,000.
It rather knocked the shine off the ring he gave Nicole Kidman in 1990, which looks like a 2ct, cushion cut, halo-set diamond coming in at a comparatively frugal £15,000 to £25,000.
The ring Tom Cruise gave Nicole Kidman (left) in 1990, which looks like a 2ct, cushion cut, halo-set diamond coming in at a comparatively frugal £15,000 to £25,000 compared to the £200k 5ct oval diamond with double claws and a vintage-style, rose gold setting for Katie Holmes (right)
Macca’s fab band for Nancy
When the former Beatle proposed to second wife Heather Mills with a three-stone sapphire and diamond ring, perhaps part of him knew he’d one day end up throwing it out of a hotel window.
Reportedly costing just over £13,000, it was flung from a Miami balcony in a row only days before their 2002 wedding, and was found at the last minute by hotel staff.
Macca will be more careful with current wife Nancy Shevell’s ring, having invested some £200,000 in the 5ct solitaire with onyx flanks.
‘Round diamonds cost around 20 per cent more than other shapes due to their enduring appeal,’ say the experts.
Heather Mills (left) ring is believed to have cost just over £13,000 compared to the ring for his current wife Nancy Shevell is said to cost £200,000 (right)
Enough to make an ex see red
Actor Ryan Reynolds proposed to Scarlett Johansson in 2008, sealing the deal with a £55,000 sparkler: a 3ct solitaire diamond set in a yellow gold band. Three years later, it was all over.
But in 2012, he was off to the jewellery store again, this time for actress Blake Lively.
It was during his brief marriage to Scarlett that his movie career started to take off, allowing him to present Blake with a 12ct, pink oval diamond on a rose gold diamond band, which would have cost around £1.5 million.
‘While diamonds are not especially rare, pink diamonds really are,’ say the experts.
The ring Ryan Reynolds gave Scarlett Johansson is believed to have cost around £55k (left), compared to the £1.5million ring he gave to Blake Lively (right)
Ritchie triples his spending
He had not long won his Bafta for his directorial debut, Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, when he asked for Madonna’s hand, so no wonder Guy Ritchie had an estimated £50,000 spare to drop on a vintage-style trilogy ring totalling around 5ct.
Twelve years on, when he proposed to Jacqui Ainsley, he was able to triple his budget to around £150,000 for her 5ct solitaire stone with a delicate halo and split-shank diamond band.
‘A single 5ct diamond will cost a lot more than three diamonds totalling 5ct, so Guy will have had to spend around three times the cost of the previous ring,’ say the team at London Diamonds (@Londondiamondsofficial).
The ring Guy Ritchie gave Madge is said to be worth £50,000 (left) compared to the rock he gave Jacqui Ainsley costing around £150,000 (right)