Hi, hello, it’s nice to meet you on our side of the internet! You’re probably here because you’re fully caught up with Ryan Murphy’s anthology series, Love Story, which means you might also have a freshly renewed obsession with its subjects, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. The first season of the show follows the late couple in a half-fact/half-fiction retelling of them falling in love.
Anyway! The most recent episode finally showed us how JFK Jr. popped the question to the famed Calvin Klein PR maven in 1995, which might have you wondering about her engagement ring. Here are all the details on Carolyn Bessette’s engagement ring, from its cut and cost to its whereabouts since the couple’s tragic death in 1999.
How did JFK Jr. propose to Carolyn Bessette?
Ah, yes, the romantic moment we’ve all been wondering about! According to JFK Jr: An Intimate Oral Biography, he asked Carolyn to marry him during a Fourth of July fishing trip to Martha’s Vineyard in 1995. At the time, he popped the question by asking, “When you go fishing, it’s always better with a partner. Would you be my partner?”
The fashionista apparently didn’t respond to his proposal right away, either. In 2017, a source close to the Kennedys told People, “She held the proposal off for about three weeks, which I think just made him all the more intent on marrying her.”
How many carats is Carolyn Bessette’s engagement ring?
Carolyn was truly the queen of chic minimalism, and her unique engagement ring definitely fit her timeless aesthetic.
Benjamin Khordipour at Estate Diamond Jewelry gave Brides.com more details about the ring’s design, saying, “Her diamond and sapphire eternity band seems to be prong-set in platinum, featuring approximately three carats of diamonds and two-and-a-half carats of sapphires. The craftsmanship is exceptional, and the design strongly channels Art Deco aesthetics.”
The design was also reportedly inspired by Jackie O.’s famous swimming ring, which was made of emeralds and sapphires. It was a second version of her wedding ring from President JFK, which she wore in water so it wouldn’t tarnish or get lost.
JFK Jr.’s assistant and close friend, RoseMarie Terenzio, revealed that he gave Carolyn two rings upon his proposal to her in JFK Jr: An Intimate Oral Biography.
“John gave Carolyn two rings. There was his mom’s ‘swimming ring’—that was Jackie’s name for the ring she wore when she didn’t wear her wedding ring—designed by Jean Schlumberger. Bunny Mellon (Jackie’s close friend) had it and had given it to John. Jackie’s swimming ring was emeralds and sapphires. Carolyn’s engagement ring from Maurice was in the same style with diamond and sapphires around a band.”
Oh, and as for John and Carolyn’s wedding rings, jewelry designer Gogo Ferguson told Garden & Gun in 2025 that the couple wanted the design to be “very, very simple.” So, she made gold rings cast from rattlesnake ribs and engraved each band with their wedding date and initials.
How much is Carolyn Bessette’s engagement ring from JFK Jr.?
The cost of CBK’s ring has never been confirmed, but Khordipour estimated that it may have been worth five figures, falling in the $10,000 to $13,000 price range.
Where is Carolyn Bessette’s engagement ring now?
After John and Carolyn tragically died during a plane crash when they were heading to Rory Kennedy’s wedding in July 1999, fans have been curious about the whereabouts of her wedding and engagement rings.
According to The Washington Post, autopsies concluded that John, Carolyn, and Carolyn’s sister, Lauren, had all died upon impact. It’s still unknown whether Carolyn was wearing her engagement and wedding rings when she passed.
