Famous Engagement Rings and Diamonds - Grace Kelly's Engagement Ring

Famous Engagement Rings and Diamonds - Grace Kelly's Engagement Ring

In 1956 Prince Rainier of Monaco proposed to the actress Grace Kelly. The engagement ring was a huge 12 carats in weight. It had an emerald cut centre stone with two baguette cut diamonds on either side. Grace Kelly even wore this beautiful diamond engagement ring during her final on-screen performance before becoming Princess Grace of Monaco.

Prince Rainier of Monaco had previously bought a diamond band as an engagement ring for Grace. However on a trip to Hollywood he noticed that the trend there was huge diamond centre stones for engagement rings, he immediately went out and found Grace Kelly this stunning 12 carat emerald engagement ring.

Famous Engagement Rings and Diamonds - Grace Kelly's Engagement Ring - Emerald Cut Diamonds

Emerald cut diamonds are fantastic for engagement rings. Emerald cut diamonds do not have quite the same fire or brilliance as a round brilliant cut, the reason being that the crown and pavillion are more shallow, though the emerald cut does show off the diamond clarity, colour and lustre of the stone very well due to the relatively large table.

The emerald cut is also referred to as a step cut - the step cut is a term for describing diamonds with a square or rectangular shape. Step cuts often have their corners flattened or cut off. This is because the sharp corners are points of weakness which could cause the diamond to fracture.