All the Rules You Need to Know About the ‘Bachelor’ Engagement Rings—Including Who Pays & How Much They Cost
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If you’re a member of Bachelor Nation, you may have had questions about The Bachelor engagement rings, who pays for them and how much they cost.
The Bachelor franchise premiered on ABC in March 2002 with businessman Alex Michel as the first Bachelor. The show has since aired for 26 seasons and produced several spinoffs including The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, Bachelor Pad, The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart and The Bachelor Winter Games. The Bachelor franchise is a reality TV dating competition that sees dozens of contestants compete for one single Bachelor or Bachelorette. Each week, the Bachelor or Bachelorette goes on dates with contestants—either one-on-one or in groups—and decides which contestants give roses to (which allows them to move onto next week) and which to eliminate.
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The Bachelor and The Bachelorette follow this format until the final Rose Ceremony with the final two contestants, where the lead chooses one contestant to give their Final Rose to and one to send home. The Final Rose Ceremony also often sees the Bachelor propose to his winner or The Bachelorette winner propose to the Bachelorette. A special titled “After the Final Rose” also airs during the finale, which sees the Bachelor or Bachelorette recap their season and update viewers on their relationship with their winner.
Since the franchise’s premiere in 2002, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have seen dozens of leads and contestants find love with each other. The franchise has also seen dozens of breakups, which brings us back to The Bachelor engagement rings, who pays for them and what happens to them when a couple breaks up. So what happens to The Bachelor engagement rings? Read on for what we know about how much The Bachelor engagement rings cost and the rules couples have to follow to keep their six-figure piece of jewelry.
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Who pays for The Bachelor engagement rings?
Who pays for the engagement rings on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise? Since The Bachelor season 1 in 2002, engagement rings on The Bachelor franchise have been designed by Neil Lane, a celebrity jewelry designer, who has also designed engagement rings for stars like Jessica Simpson and Ellen DeGeneres, as well as jewelry for names like Renée Zellweger, Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Hudson. But who pays for The Bachelor engagement rings? According to Cheat Sheet, Neil Lane donates the engagement rings to The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise in exchange for promotion on the show, which is often seen in scenes where he takes the men engagement ring shopping and other appearances throughout the finale.
In an interview with InStyle, Lane explained that he starts the engagement ring design process before he even meets the men but doesn’t finish the design until their consultation in the finale. “I actually start the design process long before I meet the groom,” he said. “The groom and I spend a lot of time together while he’s selecting the ring. We collaborate and through our dialogue, he reveals the characteristics that make his bride and the relationship he has with her unique. With these concepts in mind, I help guide him to the ring that is the true embodiment of his love for her.” Along with engagement rings, Lane also confirmed to InStyle that he’s designed other jewelry for Bachelor Nation couples, such as for when season 17 Bachelor Sean Lowe and his winner Catherine Giudici welcomed their first child in 2016, though it’s unclear if Sean and Catherine paid Lane or if he designed the piece for free. “I made a diamond band for Catherine and Sean Lowe to celebrate the birth of their first child,” Lane told InStyle. “They are such lovely people, and it has been an uplifting experience for me share in their joy and journey.”
While engagement rings on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise are free if designed by Neil Lane, contestants have to pay for their own engagement rings if they decide to go with a different designer. Among the Bachelor Nation alums who paid for their own rings are season 1 Bachelorette Trista Rehn and her winner Ryan Sutter, as well as season 2 Bachelor Aaron Buerge and his winner, Helene Eksterowicz. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Aaron paid more than $32,000 for an engagement ring designed by Harry Winston when he proposed to Helene in The Bachelor season 2 finale. After Harry and Helen split weeks after the finale—he broke up with her at a Starbucks—Helene sold the ring on eBay for $28,300.
What are The Bachelor engagement ring rules?
What are the rules for engagement rings from The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise? Former host Chris Harrison confirmed to Entertainment Weekly in 2016 that Bachelor Nation couples must stay together for at least two years after their finale airs to keep their engagement rings. If they break up before that time ends, they have to return the engagement ring to Neil Lane. “There’s some rule, after a certain number of years, you get to keep it anyway,” Harrison said. “But after months… it goes back.”
The Bachelorette season 4 winner Jesse Csincsak, who got engaged to Bachelorette DeAnna Pappas, confirmed the rule to Bustle in 2014. “In the contract, it says if you are not together for two years after the final day of the show airing, you have to give them the ring back,” he said. Season 14 Bachelorette Becca Kufrin—who got engaged to her winner, Garrett Yrigoyen, but broke up two years after their finale—joked on the “Bachelor Party” podcast in 2019 that there’s a “graveyard” for all the engagement rings from broken-up Bachelor Nation couples. Becca also got engaged to Arie Luyendyk Jr. on The Bachelor season 22 but broke up before their finale aired. “I will say there is a ring graveyard. They get to keep them all locked away, hidden from everyone—all the scorned rings,” she said.
As for Lane, he told StyleCaster in 2016 that he doesn’t know where engagement rings from The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise go if the couple breaks up but that he always designs his ring with the hope that the contestants stay together. “I make rings hoping that people stay together forever, but after they get the ring, I don’t have a say in it, and what happens after that, I don’t know,” he said. “Where the ring goes, I have to say, I don’t really know. I just say it goes to ring heaven.”
How much do The Bachelor engagement rings cost?
How much do engagement rings from The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise cost? ABC hasn’t confirmed the official cost of engagement rings from The Bachelor franchise, however, it’s estimated that the rings can cost anywhere between $45,000 to upwards of $100,000. In 2019, Life & Style estimated that the ring The Bachelorette season 15 winner Jed Wyatt used to propose to Bachelorette Hannah Brown was worth between $45,000 to $80,000.
“Hannah’s ring appeared to feature an oval cut diamond accented by a halo and set on a delicate, white gold or platinum diamond-accented band,” Kathryn Money, VP of Strategy & Merchandising for Brilliant Earth, told the magazine at the time, noting the center diamond weighed around three carats. “Depending on the quality and specific characteristics of the diamond, we estimate the cost of the ring to be between $45,000 to $80,000.” Hannah and Jed broke up in 2019 before their finale aired.
A source told E! News in 2016 that the engagement ring season 20 Bachelor Ben Higgins used to propose to his winner Lauren Bushnell was worth $95,000. “The center stone is a square-cut diamond surrounded by a halo of tiny diamonds. The total number of carats is 4.6. It’s set in platinum and was hand-crafted and designed by Neil Lane,” the insider said at the time. “The estimated price is $95,000. It’s a vintage look that reflects Ben’s old-fashioned values.” Ben and Lauren broke up in 2017 a year after their finale aired.
What is the most expensive Bachelor engagement ring?
What is the most expensive engagement ring from The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise? According to Life & Style, season 11 Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe’s engagement ring from her winner Shawn Booth is the most expensive ring valued at $150,000. The ring had a three-and-a-half carat diamond with a twisted diamond-encrusted band. Kaitlyn and Shawn broke up in 2018 three years after their finale aired.
The second most expensive engagement ring was owned by season 16 Bachelorette Clare Crawley and her winner Dale Moss. Life & Style estimated the ring to cost between $100,000 to $150,000. “Clare’s stunning, art deco-style engagement ring appears to feature an estimated 4 to 5-carat radiant cut diamond, framed by two accent diamonds and set on a diamond-adorned platinum band,” Kathryn Money, SVP, Merchandising & Retail Expansion for Brilliant Earth, told Life & Style in 2019. Clare and Dale broke up in 2020 months after their proposal aired.
The third most expensive engagement rings are owned by season 11 Bachelorette JoJo Fletcher and her winner Jordan Rodgers, season 13 Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay and her winner Bryan Abasolo, and season 21 Bachelor Nick Viall and his winner Vanessa Grimaldi. Each ring is worth $100,000. JoJo’s ring was a “3.5-carat oval cut diamond set in a white gold band accented with pave diamonds,” according to Money. JoJo and Jordan are still together after their finale in 2016. Jordan re-proposed to JoJo in 2020 with another engagement ring now estimated between $150,000 to $250,000.
“JoJo’s stunning engagement ring upgrade appears to feature a 5 to 6-carat oval cut diamond in a timeless solitaire yellow gold setting,” Money told Life & Style. “Depending on the quality and specific characteristics of the center stone, we estimate the cost of the ring at approximately $150,000 to $250,000.” She added, “The elegant simplicity of her upgraded ring’s design allows the gorgeous and larger center diamond to be the focal point.”
Rachel’s ring was a a three-carat diamond ring “surrounded by a diamond halo and accented with 80 more diamonds around the band,” according to Insider. Rachel and Bryan married in 2019 two years after their finale aired. Vanessa’s ring from Nick was also worth $100,000, according to Life & Style. Vanessa and Nick broke up in 2017 less than a year after their finale aired.
The Bachelor and The Bachelorette are available to stream on Hulu. Here’s how to watch them for free.
Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman
Buy: ‘Bachelor Nation’ by Amy Kaufman $13.89
To get more of an inside scoop, check out Los Angeles Times writer Amy Kaufman’s book, Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure, for a deep dive into the Bachelor franchise. The book uncovers the secrets of Bachelor Nation, from how much the Bachelor and the Bachelorette are paid to the rules contestants have to follow, that producers don’t want fans to know. It’s a must-read for any Bachelor Nation member.
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