Happy 59th anniversary to one of the most iconic couples of the 20th century: Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco!
Kelly and Prince Rainier met at the Cannes film festival in 1955, and after spending just a few days together over the next year the Prince proposed! He initially presented Kelly with an elegant diamond and ruby band from Cartier, which you can see her showing off below:
The newly-engaged Kelly admires her engagement ring.
The story goes that Rainier noticed how other elite American ladies preferred humongous diamonds to show off their marital status, and he quickly decided his princess-to-be was in need of an upgrade. Not just a small upgrade, mind you, but 10.47carat emerald-cut upgrade:
Engagement ring #2: a 10.47 carat emerald cut diamond with baguette accents in a platinum setting, also by Cartier.
This whopper of an engagement ring epitomized upper-class luxury so perfectly that Kelly wore it on screen for her role as Tracy Samantha Lord in High Society, a film that satirizes the wedding of a wealthy American heiress.
Though Kelly's engagement to a real-life prince with exceptional taste in jewelry may seem like a fairy tale, its worth noting that Grace and her family were required to cough up a $2 million dowry for the privilege of marrying her into the royal family of Monaco. No wonder the Prince had the budget for such an impressive diamond!