Celebrity Engagement Rings—Without Diamonds!
By Devorah Isenberg 
, Tuesday, May 08, 2012 2:34 AM
When you think of an engagement ring, you probably immediately picture a sparkling diamond solitaire, or perhaps a pave ring with a gorgeous princess-cut diamond in the center. And when you look at those incredible (and incredibly pricey) celebrity engagement rings in magazines and on gossip websites, you are usually looking at thousands (and sometimes millions!) of dollars of gorgeous, sparkling diamonds. But every so often, there is one celebrity who bucks the trend, and chooses an engagement ring that features a colored gemstone instead of a diamond as its center stone. It may be unusual, but the results can be even more creative and personalized than a standard diamond engagement ring.
1. When Jessica Simpson announced her engagement in 2010, she revealed an unusual engagement ring—a Neil Lane three-stone ring set with two smaller side diamonds and a dramatic choice for a center stone—a blood-red ruby. The $85,000 ring has a simple design that draws the eye to the rare 3-carat ruby in the center, which Simpson explained has special significance to her since it is her birthstone.
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| Carrie Underwood Engagement Ring |
2. Country singer Carrie Underwood stayed true to her country roots when she opted for the warm glow of a yellow diamond in her engagement ring. The $150,000 engagement ring, which hockey star Mike Fischer picked out for Underwood back in 2008, consists of a five-carat fancy yellow diamond set in an elaborate, diamond-studded setting. The ring is fun, beautiful, and sunny—just like Carrie herself!
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| Penelope Cruz Engagement Ring |
3. Penelope Cruz is a dark-eyed, dark-haired beauty, so it is no surprise that when it came time to choose an engagement ring, for her engagement to fellow Spanish actor Javier Bardem, she went for a stone a lot darker than your typical Hollywood colorless diamond—a deep blue sapphire on a yellow gold band. The vintage 3-carat sparkler never leaves Penelope’s finger, accompanying her everywhere from casual errands to the red carpet at the Academy Awards.
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| Jenna Bush Engagement Ring |
4. Three stone rings, in particular, lend themselves to a gorgeous combination of a classic diamond and a more unusual colored gemstone. Jenna Bush opted for a standard diamond center stone for her ring, but chose a pair of round blue sapphires to be set alongside the center stone, creating a look that is reminiscent of a traditional diamond engagement ring but still has a personal twist.
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| Halle Berry Engagement Ring |
5. She may be keeping very quiet about her engagement, but Academy Award winner Halle Berry has finally been spotted wearing the engagement ring given to her by Olivier Martinez, and turns out she is joining the gemstone-engagement-ring club as well! Her sparkler appears to be a platinum or white gold band set very simply with a rectangular emerald stone—a modern, sleek take on the classic engagement ring solitaire.
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| Sarah Furguson Engagement Ring |
6. Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson may have been inspired by her own famously red hair when she chose an incredible engagement ring—with its five-carat ruby center stone and halo of surrounding diamonds on a rose gold band. Its a look that proclaims her uniqueness and individual personal style at the same time as embracing the beautiful tradition of the engagement ring.
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| Princess Sapphire Diamond Engagement Ring |
7. Of course, no discussion of celebrity engagement rings set with gemstones would be complete without a mention of the Sapphire Seen ‘Round The World—the fabulous sapphire and diamond ring Prince William presented to Kate Middleton as an engagement ring. The substantially-sized sapphire is surrounded by 14 diamonds on a slim yellow gold band and was previously worn by Prince William’s mother, Princess Diana. Although the ring cost 30,000 pounds at the time of its purchase in 1981, it is literally priceless today.
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