A Closer Look At Paris Hilton's Stunning Engagement Ring

Former reality star and current headlining DJ, Paris Hilton, announced her engagement to actor Chris Zylka on Instagram on January 3, 2017. The Leftovers star popped the question to his soon-to-be bride atop a picturesque ski slope at an Aspen resort, sliding a diamond onto her finger that would have made Liberace drool (look it up, millennials). Honestly, the rock is pretty on par with what anyone would expect for the flashy socialite, but still, people can't stop talking about it. Here's all the inside dirt on the hotel heiress's hefty new hardware.

According to the man who designed the ring, jeweler Michael Greene of Greene & Co., Hilton's bougie new bling is worth a staggering $2 million. Speaking with The Knot, Greene said "the center stone is a little bit over 20 carats... and the stones around the ring are just under 2 carats." He added, "It's a platinum, split-shank ring with a halo around the center stone." Translation: It's more than you or I could ever afford, and it's the size of a small Buick.

Zylka wasn't just going for over-the-top opulence — at least not entirely. Greene also told The Knot that Zylka's design request for a "dream diamond for his princess" came from his observation of Hilton's obsession with her mother's pear-shaped rock. "He's seen Paris admiring her mother's ring and trying it on at different times during dinner," Greene said, adding, "And he just really watched the way she just loved that ring. That's why we came up with the shape."

In a separate interview with Us Weekly, Greene — who also happens to be a longtime personal friend of the Hilton family, according to Page Six — said that Zylka did not shop around at all. "He knew exactly what he wanted," Greene said. "They have similar taste. He's extremely attentive to her — when she makes little comments, he remembers them." That's so sweet, right? Although, speaking as a man, I can say that if a woman ever even remotely hinted that she expected me to you to drop a couple mil on a diamond, that's something I'd never forget either, and for entirely unromantic reasons.

Greene told Us Weekly that he had his guys "work through the night" in order to get the stone set in just two days. Normally, the process would take three weeks, but Zylka requested the rush job in order to have it ready for the Aspen trip. However, Zylka's road to popping the question started long before that.

"Five to six months ago, we started the process of finding the perfect pear-shaped diamond," Greene told the mag. "On December 20th I met with Chris at their N.Y.C. apartment while Paris was at the hospital with her sister Nikki waiting for her second baby to be born. Paris had no idea, Chris and I sketched out exactly how he wanted it... from there I took it back to my factory in L.A. to be built," he continued. But since it's apparently pretty rare to find gigantic, "top quality," pear-shaped diamonds, Zylka had to keep his secret for almost half a year. "[Paris] mentioned my name to him months ago, and he never showed any sign of interest," Green said. "He played it off perfectly!"  

In addition to showing off her ice all over social media and in public whenever possible, Hilton has also been singing the praises of the shiny sparkler in the press. She told People it's "so gorgeous and sparkling. I was shaking as I put it on. It is the most beautiful ring that I have ever seen!"

Speaking with E! News, Greene said that Zylka's mission to deliver Hilton her "dream diamond" was accomplished. "Paris just called and told me how much she appreciates it," Greene said, adding, "She said she never thought Chris would come up with something so perfect. She's so happy and excited."

Upon seeing the ring for the first time, Zylka was apparently also struck by its grandeur. "He literally started shaking with excitement and was blown away with the ring," Greene told Us Weekly, adding, "He said 'This is it! So sick!'" I'm not convinced that wasn't when he first saw the price tag. 

Eagle-eyed social media users couldn't help but point out that Hilton's stunner (above, right), unique as it may be, bears a striking resemblance to rapper Cardi B's finger bling (above, left), which she flaunted several months ago after getting engaged to fellow rapper, Offset. Though Cardi B's is a mere 8 carats and cost a paltry $500,000 dollars, the resemblance to Hilton's ring is undeniable.

When confronted on Twitter about their "twinning pear shaped rings," Hilton played nice, replying, "Our future hubby's [sic] obviously both have amazing & similar taste! Congrats @iamcardib & @OffsetYRN! #LuckyGirls  #RingGoals"   

This probably comes as no surprise, but Hilton reportedly beefed up her security situation in order to protect the sudden increase to the value of her left hand. Sources told TMZ that Hilton's guard was not only raised because of the ring's steep price tag, but also because of the recent "rash of celeb burglaries this past year."

The new diamond defenders will reportedly dress in "street clothes," but will accompany Hilton 24/7. And just in case you don't trust TMZ's "sources," and are now planning a daring heist to nab the brilliant bauble, E! News confirmed that Hilton's new diamond detail is, in fact, real.  

It's not uncommon for celebrities to plunk down jaw-dropping amounts of cash on jewelry, especially when it comes to engagement rings. Take, for example, Kim Kardashian's $4.5 million engagement ring from Kanye West, or Paris Hilton's two 20+ carat rings from her previous engagement to Greek shipping heir, Paris Latsis. Wait, what? Nope, this isn't Hilton's first mega-rock, but more on that in a minute.

Despite Zylka's successful stint on an HBO show, skeptics are still wondering how he came up with the scratch for such a stupendous stone. According to Page Six, Zylka's net worth is only around $4 million, which means we're to believe he cleared out half of his life savings to propose to a woman whose own net worth is estimated near $300 million, and whose family was worth much, much more.

In fact, sources also indicated to Page Six that it's not uncommon for celebs to negotiate the prices of high end pieces, using their high profiles as leverage to lower the price in exchange for the obvious promotion the jeweler will get from it. Asked whether Zylka, Paris, or whoever actually paid for the ring was given any such deal, jeweler Michael Greene said, "Those are the kind of things I wouldn't talk about."    

Over a decade ago, Hilton received just as much fanfare for her then-engagement to Paris Latsis. After all, who could resist the love story of Paris and Paris, two wealthy-beyond-all-imagination trust fund kids who fought no odds to find each other in this crazy world? But alas, it wasn't meant to be, as Hilton broke off the engagement four months later, telling Us Weekly, "Over the last couple months I've realized that this is the right decision for me. We remain best of friends, and I'll always love him. I hope people will respect my privacy during this emotional time."

Prior to that, Hilton was also "briefly engaged" to model, actor, and son of another prominent family, Jason Shaw. There's no word on what type of ring, if any, Shaw gave to Hilton when he got down on one knee, but I'm guessing he didn't go to Jared.

In a candid September 2017 interview with Galore, Hilton opened up about her relationship with Zylka, and it was clear then, several months before their engagement, that this was the real deal. "He's perfect for me. He's my best friend, so loyal, kind, caring and sweet," Hilton said, adding, "I trust him with my life and know he would never hurt me."

Though her feelings are clearly strong, it took awhile for the two to come together after meeting in 2010. "Chris and I met seven years ago, during an Oscar party being held at the Chateau Marmont... we're both shy so it took a while, but by the end of the night we couldn't stop laughing and flirting," she said. Still, it would be another five years before their actual courtship started, and another year after that before going public with it, according to People.

Apparently, starting out as friends worked for Zylka as well, who also told People, "Paris is the most beautiful and incredible woman both inside and out. I feel like the luckiest man in the world to be marrying my dream girl. I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together."

Although it's unlikely that any woman's parents would tell her to turn down a $2 million engagement ring just because the guy offering it failed to ask them first, Zylka had that base covered. Like a true gentleman, Zylka even waited until after the ring was completed before taking it "to show Paris's father Rick and ask him for his approval," jeweler Michael Greene told Us Weekly. "When he picked up the ring from me, he was shaking, both with excitement and of course about going straight to see Rick," Greene added.

Zylka admitted to Extra the he "started crying" before asking Rick for his daughter's hand, but now that she's said yes, he's hitting the gas on the wedding plans. Saying he hopes they will be married "soon," Zylka also made it clear that Hilton's parents would be heavily involved. "We are going to have dinner with her parents and figure everything out," he said.

Hilton also gave a few details to Extra about her plans for the upcoming nuptials, which — Suprise! — sound insanely opulent. "I feel like I want to do a couple (weddings).... For my 21st birthday, I had five parties, so maybe for the wedding I will have a European one, an American one, one for everyone around the world." Good luck, you crazy kids!