John F. Kennedy Jr. proposed to Carolyn Bessette with a band that featured alternating diamonds and sapphires
Credit: Ron Galella Collection via Getty ; Robin Platzer/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Carolyn Bessette received a diamond and sapphire engagement ring from John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1995
- The ring had a special meaning for both Bessette and JFK Jr.
- The couple died in July 1999, and the ring is now in her family’s possession
After dating on and off for a few years, John F. Kennedy Jr. proposed to Carolyn Bessette over the Fourth of July in 1995.
JFK Jr. — who was the son of President John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy Onassis — asked Bessette to marry him while enjoying a romantic fishing trip in Martha’s Vineyard. The attorney proposed with a platinum eternity band featuring alternating diamonds and sapphires.
The couple, whose story is being retold in the dramatized Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, went on to get married on Sept. 21, 1996, on Cumberland Island, Ga. They remained married until they tragically died when their plane crashed on July 16, 1999.
After Bessette and JFK Jr.'s death, their bodies were eventually recovered in the Atlantic Ocean. Her engagement ring was also subsequently returned to her family according to a friend.
Here's everything to know about what happened to Carolyn Bessette's engagement ring from John F. Kennedy Jr. after their deaths.
How and when did JFK Jr. propose to Bessette?
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Bessette and JFK Jr. met in 1992 and began officially dating a few years later. JFK Jr. proposed over the Fourth of July in 1995 while they were on a fishing trip in Martha's Vineyard.
"When you go fishing, it's always better with a partner. Would you be my partner?" he asked her, according to PEOPLE Editor-at-Large Liz McNeil and RoseMarie Terenzio's 2024 book, JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography.
Although he popped the question over the holiday, Bessette reportedly didn't immediately say "yes." Author Elizabeth Beller wrote in her 2024 book, Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, that Bessette told him, “I’ll think about it.”
"She held the proposal off for about three weeks, which I think just made him all the more intent on marrying her," a close friend of JFK Jr. told PEOPLE in June 2017.
What did Bessette's ring look like?
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Bessette's engagement ring from JFK Jr. was unique. The platinum eternity band, which was designed by JFK Jr., featured alternating oval-shaped diamonds and sapphires.
The minimalist ring was estimated to have cost between $10,000 and $13,000, jeweler Benjamin Khordipour told Brides in January 2026.
"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," he said. "The craftsmanship is exceptional, and the design strongly channels Art Deco aesthetics."
In addition to her engagement band, she and JFK Jr. chose gold rings that were cast from the rib of a rattlesnake and inscribed the bands with their initials and wedding date. Jewelry designer and longtime friend of the couple, Gogo Ferguson, was asked to design the wedding rings.
"They both wanted something very, very simple,” Ferguson told Garden & Gun in August 2025. “[Bessette] loved simple designs, and she didn’t need much because she was so beautiful."
What was the special meaning behind Bessette's engagement ring?
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JFK Jr. created the simple engagement ring to complement Bessette's minimalist style.
“[Carolyn’s] engagement ring epitomized the minimalism of that style moment. It was understated elegance," Marion Fasel, jewelry historian and founder of The Adventurine, told Vogue in 2022.
In addition to honoring his wife's love of minimalism, JFK Jr. also used the opportunity to pay homage to his late mother, Jackie. The ring was inspired by her "swimming ring" — a gold and emerald eternity band. She gave it that nickname because she wore it instead of her engagement ring while she was swimming.
Carole Radziwill, who was married to JFK Jr.'s cousin and best friend Anthony Radziwill, wrote in her 2007 book What Remains that Bessette's engagement ring was "a copy of a ring [John’s] mother wore."
"Jackie's swimming ring was emeralds and sapphires. Carolyn's engagement ring from Maurice [Tempelsman] was in the same style with diamond and sapphires around a band," according to JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography.
What happened to Bessette's engagement ring?
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JFK Jr. and Bessette suddenly died on July 16, 1999. The couple, along with Bessette's sister Lauren, were flying to Rory Kennedy's wedding when their small plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.
Five days after they died, their bodies were recovered from 116 feet of water. All three victims were found strapped into seatbelts. While it's unclear if Bessette was wearing her engagement or wedding ring when she tragically died, her engagement ring has since been recovered and is in the hands of her family.
"The family has it," a source told PEOPLE of the ring.
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