Marla Maples’s Engagement Ring From Donald Trump Will Be Auctioned Off Next Week
The engagement ring that Donald Trump’s ex-wife Marla Maples sold to gain funds after her divorced finalized in 1999 is going on sale again. The jewel — a Harry Winston 7.45-carat emerald-cut diamond ring — will be auctioned off for a private client by estate jewelry auctioneer Joseph DuMouchelle on Wednesday, June 29th at New York’s Lotte Palace.
“The client is selling the ring after enjoying it for many years,” says DuMouchelle. “Many collectors reach a point in time, after the pleasure of owning a wonderful work of art or beautiful creation, where they wish to pass it on and have someone else enjoy it as much as they have.”
The ring represents an era of Maples’ life that’s long gone. “Putting on gowns and going out hosting events and having Harry Winston put jewelry on my hands was always uncomfortable for me—that was me playing a role,” Maples, now 52, recently told PEOPLE. (For the 1993 wedding, in which she married in front of 1,000 guests, she wore Carolina Herrera and a Harry Winston tiara worth $2 million.) “I felt that’s what the job called for. To me it’s never about how much money you have. It’s about how you are connecting with each other, supporting each other.”
“I was never with him for his money,” she continued. “I wasn’t there for the glamorous life or the riches. I kind of giggle about it when I hear people describe me living some lavish lifestyle. I live in a 740-sq.-ft. apartment. Who are they talking about?”
RELATED PHOTOS: Even More Celebrity Engagement Rings!
“I feel very blessed for how my life is, but I do have to laugh when people think I walked away with a fortune,” she said.
The ring is expected to sell for $300,000 to $350,000.
—Sharon Clott Kanter, with reporting by Charlotte Triggs
