Mary-Kate Olsens vintage Cartier engagement ring bought at a Sothebys auction.
Photo: Courtesy of Sothebys
Theres been much speculation about Mary-Kate Olsens engagement ring since reports suced that shes set to wed French banker Olivier Sarkozywho made it, how much it cost, and whether or not the designer did the unthinkable and bought it herself.
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Mary-Kate Olsen wearing her engagement ring in New York City.
Photo: Pacific Coast News
Turns out, the massive ring Olsens been sporting is vintage Cartier from 1953a fitting choice for Olsen considering her affinity for unique vintage clothingand was purchased at a jewelry auction at Sothebys, according to a source miliar with the matter
The center European-cut diamond clocks in at approximately four carats framed by 16 sapphires, and the petals are set with single-cut diamonds.
The ring originally belonged to a Tennessee-based jewelry collector and was bought at an auction in New York City on February 6. Considering that news broke on February 28 about Olsen and Sarkozys engagement, the timeline between when the ring was bought, when the engagement happened, and when the public found out about it all is pretty tight.
While the ring was originally estimated to fetch between $40,000 and $60,000 by Sothebys, it ultimately sold for $81,250. And while that might seem like a hefty sum for an engagement ring (the average price paid for an engagement ring in the U.S. is $5,431), it is pretty modest by celebrity standards.
Kim Kardashians engagement ring from Kanye West, for instance, is a perfect, D flawless cushion-cut diamond ring created by Lorraine Schwartz thats estimated to be worth upwards of $8 million. Angelina Jolies engagement ring from Brad Pitt features a total of 16 carats and is speculated to be worth $500,000.
We reached out to Sothebys, who declined to comment on who purchased the ring, so the world will have to continue to speculate on whether or not Olsen bought the ring for herself or Sarkozy shelled out for it. Or perhaps the pair went the modern route and picked it out together. Regardless, it is a gorgeous piece of jewelry, and at the end of the day this is a piece of jewelry Olsen intends to wear for life, so thats really all that matters.
