Biggest Engagement Ring Ever on Season Finale of The Bachelorette!

By Devorah Isenberg , Friday, July 27, 2012 7:56 AM

Emily Maynard

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, there is no denying that dating reality shows provide us with endless hours of guilty pleasure entertainment, from the moment we are first introduced to the house full of guys or girls, to the final nail-biting moment of the proposal. And, of course, every season is capped off with a gorgeous Neil Lane engagement ring and the are-they-or-aren’t-they drama of trying to figure out whether the couple of the season will actually end up tying the knot. But this summer’s season of the The Bachelorette was one of a kind, for several reasons. Bachelorette Emily Maynard, 26, was a single mom, with a more focused, serious attitude towards the dating process than many of her predecessors. And when it came time for the proposal moment, producers surprised audiences, and Maynard herself, with the biggest and most valuable engagement ring in Bachelor/Bachelorette history! That’s right—Emily Maynard, the Bachelorette 2012, is a bachelorette no longer, now that she has a $150,000 Neil Lane engagement ring and a proposal from Jef Holm, a 27-year-old successful entrepreneur.

As the season finale in glamorous and exotic Curacao approached, celebrity jewelry designer Neil Lane packed a bag with six different gorgeous engagement rings he thought Emily Maynard might like. Having met Emily at the beginning of the show, he chose six designs that reflected different aspects of her personality and personal style, but ultimately, the choice was left up to the lucky “winner” of the show.

And in a Bachelorette first, the final engagement ring chosen was one that could easily live up to the standards set by the most glamorous, opulent celebrity engagement rings. Featuring a classically elegant emerald-cut diamond of 2.5 carats set into a halo setting and pave band set with 87 smaller diamonds. The complete look—with a total carat weight of 3.5 carats—is nothing but sheer elegance and sophistication, perfect for the Bachelorette 2012.

Emily Maynard Engagement Ring

According to celebrity jewelry designer Neil Lane, Holms’ choice of an emerald-cut diamond on a diamond-studded platinum band was a good sign about the future of their relationship. “He really understood her style.” Lane told People magazine. “She’s very sophisticated, very beautiful, elegant and classic and the emerald-cut diamond has those elements. She exudes grace and style, with an elegance that reminded me of high society of the 1920s when that stone was very fashionable.” (Visit People.com for an exclusive interview with Lane and more Emily Maynard engagement ring photos.)

Even fans of the show will admit that most of the time, couples formed on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette don’t have the best track record when it comes to making it down the aisle. Many couples have been engaged for anywhere from a month to a year before parting ways, with one couple (Melissa and Jason, in 2009) calling off their engagement only minutes after their proposal scene aired. All the while, the shows have seen a parade of gorgeous engagement rings flaunted—from the two-carat pear shaped diamond accented with baguettes worn by Bachelorette Jillian in 2010 to the custom-designed engagement ring with a cushion-cut diamond the Bachelor of 2012, Ben, used to propose to Courtney. However, there is no denying that Emily Maynard’s Neil Lane ring is special—everything from the cut of the diamond, the design of the ring, and the romantic simplicity of the proposal seems more classy and less over-the-top than previous seasons—making us suspect and hope that this year’s couple might be one that lasts.