Jackie Later Redesigned Her Engagement Ring
Almost 10 years after her wedding, Jackie Kennedy opted to have her famous ring turned into a fabulous new one. In 1962, she actually sent it back to Van Cleef & Arpels to be given a new design and reset. As per the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum, the revamped version had 0.66 carats of round diamonds added and 1.46 carats of marquise-cut diamonds were set around the original emerald and diamond center stones.
The more daring and ostentatious setting was made to symbolize Jackie’s higher position as the First Lady of the United States.
Rachel Garrahan, British Vogue’s jewelry director, told Vogue, “The new ring made a statement and welcomed Jackie’s increasing self-confidence both, on the personal side and in her family’s role on the world stage.”
Jackie Kennedy’s Unique Engagement Ring
The engagement ring Jackie Kennedy got from John F. Kennedy was a beautiful one of a kind. The 2.88-carat diamond coupled with a 2.84-carat emerald made the toi et moi ring break with tradition with its stylish two-stone design.
Jackie and JFK did not know each other until 1952 when they met through a mutual friend; their engagement was announced the next June. Kennedy used a custom Van Cleef & Arpels piece to propose, in which the diamond and emerald were set in a band that was lined with baguette-cut diamonds and emeralds.
Her magnificent ring made people start to look for more unusual engagement styles, which is still the case nowadays as the stars like Ariana Grande and Megan Fox are going for the toi et moi design.
It was only a half year later when on Sept. 12, 1953, the couple got married in Newport, Rhode Island, an elegant wedding with over 600 guests and a full orchestra.
Below we walk through details of Jackie Kennedy’s iconic engagement ring.
The Diamond and Emerald Design
One thing rule out from the list of possibilities that Jackie Kennedy’s engagement ring was typical. The design she had adopted was a toi et moi (literally “you and I”) showing two stones mounted side by side.
Per Vogue, the ring was a combination of a 2.88-carat emerald-cut diamond with a 2.84-carat emerald of the same cut. Each of the gemstones was set on a platinum ring that was also decorated with baguette-cut diamonds and emeralds, thus, this was one of the most unusual engagement rings in the 1960s.
Created by Van Cleef & Arpels
This brilliant ring was a product of the French high-end jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels, known for its perpetual and aesthetic works. It is said that the value of Jackie’s engagement ring was above $1 million back then, which was both a unique piece of work and performed with exceptional handiwork.
JFK and Jackie Announce Their Engagement
John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy declared their engagement to the public on June 24, 1953. The actual proposing of the question is still unknown—there are those who say JFK popped the question at Martin’s Tavern in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., while others state it took place at the Omni Hotel in Boston.
Quite a surprising fact is that Jackie was not pictured with an engagement ring after the release of the statement. She confided to the press at that time, “I don’t have one yet. Jack and I have been through a whole lot of them. Some I didn’t like, and some were not the right kind,” as cited by Brides.
Reportedly Joseph Kennedy Selected the Ring for John F. Kennedy
In a similar way as the wedding dress of Jackie, it is said that JFK didn’t pick out the engagement ring himself but rather his dad, Joseph Kennedy, made the choice. Vogue informs us that on Fifth Avenue in New York City, Joseph went to the Van Cleef & Arpels shop where he selected the ring with the help of Hélène Arpels who is the wife of the jeweler Louis Arpels and a friend of Jackie.
Vanity Fair disclosed that Arpels gifted Joseph with the emerald-and-diamond ring together with a ruby-and-diamond bracelet and a diamond leaf pin. It is reported that after examining their quality and design, Joseph gave the order for the pieces to be delivered to the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, thus, seemingly without checking the cost.
Jackie Later Redesigned Her Engagement Ring
Almost 10 years after her wedding, Jackie Kennedy opted to have her famous ring turned into a fabulous new one. In 1962, she actually sent it back to Van Cleef & Arpels to be given a new design and reset. As per the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum, the revamped version had 0.66 carats of round diamonds added and 1.46 carats of marquise-cut diamonds were set around the original emerald and diamond center stones.
The more daring and ostentatious setting was made to symbolize Jackie’s higher position as the First Lady of the United States.
Rachel Garrahan, British Vogue’s jewelry director, told Vogue, “The new ring made a statement and welcomed Jackie’s increasing self-confidence both, on the personal side and in her family’s role on the world stage.”
