Topline
The diamond ring soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo used to propose to his longtime partner Georgina Rodriguez could be as large as 50 carats, appraisers told Forbes, making it larger than the famous sparklers given to Mariah Carey, Kim Kardashian and Lauren Sánchez.
Elizabeth Taylor wears a 69-carat diamond around her neck and her 33-carat engagement ring, both from and Richard Burton, at the 1970 Oscars.
Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Key Facts
Rodriguez announced the pair’s engagement after eight years of dating on Monday with a photo that focused on her ring.
It drew instant headlines and attention—the sparking center stone reaches to Rodriguez’s knuckle—and appraisers told Forbes it’s among the “rarest and most exquisite diamonds in the world.”
Kristian Spofforth, a jewelry specialist with Heritage Auctions, said the diamond seems to be an oval-cut stone of approximately 50 carats with a D colour grade—the highest on the scale—and likely a clarity of VVS1 or better.
Traditional diamonds are valued in part by how closely they approach colorlessness on a scale from D to Z and based on their clarity, or flawlessness (a VVS1 is the second-highest clarity rating and means a stone has only minute flaws that are difficult for a skilled grader to see under 10x magnification).
The metal used for Rodriguez’s ring isn’t immediately clear from images posted online, but Spodforth said “the setting is elegant, minimal and perfectly tailored to showcase the stone’s natural beauty.”
Gemologist appraiser Deborah Villepigue said she estimates the center stone to be a little bigger, between 55 and 60 carats, and the ring to be worth roughly $3 million.
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What We Don’t Know
Who designed Rodriguez’s ring. Some have speculated it was made by Cartier, but no jeweler has yet claimed the work.
How Does Georgina Rodriguez’s Ring Compare To Other Famous Engagement Rings?
Few stars have flaunted diamonds bigger than Rodriguez’s, but two stand out. Rapper Gucci Mane famously gave his wife Keyshia Ka’oir a 60-carat, oval cut diamond ring in 2019 as an upgrade to the 25-carat ring he proposed with two years earlier, and Richard Burton gave Elizabeth Taylor a 69.42-carat, pear-shaped stone he purchased for her in 1969. Burton reportedly bought the diamond from Cartier for $1 million, the equivalent of about $8.6 million today. Rodriguez’s ring is larger than the initial Harry Winston ring Burton used to propose to Taylor in 1968, which featured a 33.19-carat Asscher-cut diamond. Burton reportedly outbid Winston himself for that ring for $305,000, the highest price ever paid at auction for a diamond ring at the time. Rodriguez’s ring also out-sizes some of the most-talked-about celebrity rings in recent memory, including Mariah Carey’s 35-carat emerald-cut ring from billionaire James Packer, which was designed by Wilfredo Rosado and valued at $10 million. Other famous rings include the $8 million, 15-carat cushion-cut diamond ring by Lorraine Schwartz that Kim Kardashian received from Kanye West, and the $5 million, 30-carat pink diamond billionaire Jeff Bezos used to propose to Lauren Sánchez. Sanchez was also spotted wearing another 30-to-40 carat oval diamond ring, estimated to be worth around $4 million, at her Venice wedding earlier this summer. Both of her rings were designed by Schwartz.
Cristiano Ronaldo with Georgina Rodriguez in 2019.
AFP via Getty Images
Key Background
Ronaldo and Rodriguez appeared publicly together for the first time in 2017 alongside his son from a previous relationship, Cristiano Jr. Six months later, in June, Ronaldo welcomed twins Eva and Mateo via surrogate. He has never shared the identity of the mother of his first three children. Rodriguez gave birth to her first child with Ronaldo in November 2017 and announced she was pregnant with twins in October of 2021. One of the children died in childbirth. The pair first sparked engagement rumors in November of 2018 and fans have speculated about their relationship status since. In July 2024, Ronaldo hinted that he and Rodriguez might have married after the soccer star referred to her as his “wife,” but his publicist told People, “At this time, I have no knowledge of whether or not Cristiano is married to Georgina.” Netflix chronicled the daily life of Rodriguez in a reality series called “I Am Georgina” that aired for three seasons.
Forbes Valuation
Ronaldo, 40, was ranked by Forbes as the world’s highest paid athlete this year. He is estimated to have made $275 million in the last year and, in 2020, became the first active team-sport athlete to surpass $1 billion in career earnings. In addition to a lifetime deal with Nike and other endorsements, Ronaldo earns money off the pitch from his CR7-branded clothing, accessories, hotels and gyms.
Further Reading