The Kardashians don't do anything small. Least of all weddings.
But it was nevertheless surprising when it emerged this morning that Kim Kardashian's baller fianc Kris Humphries liked it so much he put a 20.5-carat ring on it--after all, you don't have to be a jewelry expert to know that that's a lot. (But just for a little perspective, Kate Middleton's practically-visible-from-space bauble is a cool 18 carats.)
Naturally, it wasn't long before the estimates started rolling in, with experts speculating that the ring set the NBA star back a whopping $2 million. Forget two months' salary, that's almost a year's worth for Humphries, who last summer extended his option with the New Jersey Nets and pocketed just $3.2 million for the current season.
The Kardashians
So is it true? Did Humphries really fork over seven figures for his bride-to-be's engagement ring? This rumor is...
So true!
PHOTOS: Kim Kardashian &Kris Humphries: Romance Diary
"Big diamonds were always Kim's passion," the ring designer herself, Lorraine Schwartz, told E! News. "Growing up she always loved to look at rings. When Kris came in, he knew this but he wanted to make it his decision. He knew he wanted that 'wow' big, and he could have gone bigger, but he wanted Kim's ring to be something she would wear for the rest of her life."
What he ended up choosing, Schwartz said, "is really classic, very timeless and just what she wanted."
After being schooled on the cuts and colors available to him, he ultimately went with an Emerald cut because "it's classy and elegant and he said it reminded him of Kim."
Now for those specifics: the Emerald-cut white diamond sits in a platinum setting, has a VS clarity grade (it stands for "very slight," and if you couldn't tell, is a very good ranking), and is a 16.5-carat gem with two side stones of approximately 2 carats each. Altogether, the ring is roughly 20.5 carats and valued at--yep--just over $2 million.
Not only that--Schwartz exclusively told E! News that Humphries got a special quote engraved inside the band of the ring, which also features a tiny heart engraved between the couple's initials.
While she's not disclosing what the message reads, she said that Kris took "three days to get it right" and that the quote is "very special and meaningful to the two of them."
Which he should be able to recoup soon enough. As Lamar Odom can no doubt attest, marrying a Kardashian comes with perks, among them access to endorsement dealmaker and brand manager extraordinaire Kris Jenner. Not that being engaged to Kim isn't its own kind of jackpot.