The Love Story Behind Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's Unexpected Engagement Ring

Amidst all the hype around Ryan Murphy’s American Love Story, a fashion-filled retelling of the tragic union of John F. Kennedy and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, comes a renewed fascination with the couple’s style. With a whole new generation falling down the CBK rabbit hole, grainy paparazzi shots of the former fashion publicist’s effortless looks have resurfaced on moodboards once again. But while most of Bessette Kennedy’s wardrobe consisted of Prada, Saint Laurent, Jil Sander, and Calvin Klein, the Queen of 1990s Minimalism’s refined tastes extended to her engagement ring.

As longtime staples of New York’s upper echelon, you’d be forgiven for assuming the Kennedys’ engagements leaned towards sizeable rocks. And yet, Bessette Kennedy opted for a rather subversive route, saying yes to a subtle heirloom.

When John F. Kennedy Jr. proposed over Fourth of July weekend in 1995, he presented a slim platinum eternity ring set with alternating sapphires and diamonds. No towering solitaire. No theatrical sparkle. Just a neat, considered circle—with an inspired history.

For America’s most photographed bachelor, it was an unexpectedly restrained move. The design reportedly referenced a ring owned by his mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, which was designed by the legendary Jean Schlumberger and beloved for its easy, unfussy elegance.

The proposal unfolded on a fishing boat off Martha’s Vineyard. The ring had even survived a dramatic fling across Central Park during a lovers’ quarrel before being picked up by Kennedy, as captured by lingering paparazzi at the time.

For Bessette Kennedy, who was never one to layer on the jewels—she even skipped earrings and a necklace altogether for her paired-back wedding— the ring was a perfectly sentimental choice. Once hitched, she swapped it out completely for a traditional gold band.

As for the ring’s current whereabouts, it remains unknown if it was ever retrieved after the 1999 plane crash that claimed the lives of the two.

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