Rings are worn not only on the fingers but also on toes, the ears and through the nose. Besides serving to adorn the body, rings have functioned as symbols of authority, fidelity, or social status. Basically, a ring consists of three parts: the circle, or hoop; the shoulders; and the bezel.

Why is the ring important in Romeo and Juliet?  The Nurse hands Romeo the ring from Juliet, and this physical symbol of their love revives his spirits.

First time marriages waited on average three years before getting engaged, while second and more timers popped the question an average of 2.3 years after they began to date.

As for ring value, celebrities marrying for the first time spent on average 0.39% of their net worth on the ring. Second timers spend £2,746,983.33 ($3.62 million) on finding the perfect stone. Celebs still married in 2017 spent an average of £489,000 ($645k) on an engagement ring. Celebrities no longer together in 2017 spent an average of £821,000 ($1 million) on their precious ring.

As for the common people, numbers released by The Wedding Report and quoted by IDEX Online in August show that the average amount spent by US couples on their wedding was down just $1 to $25,960 from $25,961 in Q1 2017. The amount spent on an engagement ring dropped 0.2% to $3,339 from $3,406. The amount spent on wedding rings/bands for men and women were down 0.2% and 0.4%, respectively, to $485 and $782.

Scarlett Johansson and Saturday Night Live's Colin Jost got engaged, but her engagement ring did not make its public appearance until the Avengers star spoke at Comic-Con International. We think her 11-carat light brown, Type IIa diamond, designed by T affin, was well worth the wait!

Ryan Reynolds proposed to Blake Lively with a 12-carat light pink diamond engagement ring set in rose gold, worth $2 million.

In conclusion, whether it's Blake Lively’s 12-carat light pink diamond or Audrey Hepburn’s trio of platinum and gold wedding bands, the most famous engagement rings in history all tell fascinating stories. Those belonging to past and present British monarchs, award-winning actresses, models and muses all topped Sotheby’s list of must-see rings, which range from family heirlooms to contemporary bespoke designs.