Where Is Grace Kelly’s Cartier Engagement Ring Now?

Just seven months after Prince Rainier III of Monaco swept Grace Kelly off of her feet during a photoshoot at the Palace of Monaco in 1955, a love-story origin made for fairy tales, he traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to pop the question at her family home in Philadelphia during Christmas. Her engagement ring, a jaw-dropping 10.48-carat emerald-cut diamond set in platinum and flanked by two baguette stones, became one of the most expensive and eye-catching celebrity jewels at the time. Now, nearly 70 years later, it’s still regarded as one of the most legendary pieces of jewelry to ever exist. In fact, the diamond sparkler inspired countless ensuing engagement rings, including those of Elizabeth Taylor, Beyoncé, Amal Clooney, and Anne Hathaway, according to Vogue. It’s even considered to be the priciest celebrity engagement ring of all time: It was listed at $4.06 million in 1956 and is valued at $38.8 million today.

Although this massive stone is widely considered to be the Oscar-winning actress’ official engagement ring, she actually received another lesser-known bauble from the prince when he proposed. Following their engagement, the actress introduced the public to her ring during a press conference in her family's home. Nestled on her finger was an eternity band-style bauble composed of diamonds and rubies, which was allegedly a placeholder. The ring, designed by Cartier, was reportedly made using family heirlooms and was intended to represent the colors of Monaco’s flag (red and white).

Right after the couple got engaged, Kelly started filming High Society (the last movie she would star in before marrying the prince), which was when her 10.48-carat diamond ring with two tapered baguettes on either side first entered the picture. Allegedly, when Prince Rainier discovered that Kelly’s character would be wearing a fake diamond ring, he offered to buy her a real one to use in the motion picture and to wear as a second engagement ring—a proposal that the costume designer and Kelly both accepted. The ring even became somewhat of a main character in the movie, with one of her co-stars joking about its size and Kelly herself taking a moment to admire the stone while acting out a scene.

Although it isn’t known how or exactly when the ring ended up on the star’s left ring finger, Pierre Rainero, Cartier’s director of image, heritage, and style, revealed that the stone might have origins in Paris. “We have pictures of them peering in at the windows of the Cartier store on the Rue de la Paix [in Paris],” Rainero told Vogue. “I don’t know if they were already married or engaged, but perhaps they were choosing this ring.” According to the jeweler’s archive records, the ring was transferred from Cartier’s store in Paris to its store in Monaco. 

After enjoying 26 years of marriage and raising three children (Stephanie, Caroline, and Albert II), Kelly tragically died at 52 in 1982 after suffering a stroke, which led to a fatal car crash. After her passing, according to reports, both of her engagement rings were given to the House of Grimaldi, the reigning family of the Principality of Monaco. They still remain in their care today. 

At one point, though, the royal family loaned Kelly's sparklers (along with other Cartier jewels in her collection) to the jewelry company. Because Kelly was a loyal supporter of Cartier, in 2016, after a two-and-a-half-year renovation on Cartier’s Fifth Avenue mansion in New York City was completed, the royal family let the flagship store put those iconic jewels on display for a month. Now, there’s a room in the mansion dedicated entirely to the actress.