9 Stunning Melania Trump Jewelry Pieces That Had Heads Turning

Melania Trump's stunning transformation from a humble kid in the former Yugoslavia to first lady of the United States of America is perhaps one of the most unique stories in American history. Not many other White House inhabitants can say they met their husband and future president of the United States in a New York City nightclub, but that's exactly where the lore of Melania and Donald Trump's marriage begins. And while she is the former president's third wife, not much is known about Melania's relationship history before Donald. After five years of dating, the happy couple were engaged in 2004. And considering Donald's billionaire businessman status, the engagement ring became the first of many of Melania's iconic jewelry pieces over the years.

Melania and Donald eventually wed in a glamorous ceremony in 2005 at Donald's infamous Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, and have been married ever since. Donald often speaks glowingly about his bride, telling People in June 2015, "She's an elegant person with a very big heart... She's very calm and confident, very warm and very beautiful." Over the years, Melania has wowed the world with various jewels — from lavish anniversary gifts from Donald himself to slightly more subdued diamonds donned at presidential events during her husband's four years in the White House. Let's take a closer look into some of her most dazzling jewelry moments over the years.

When it came time to select an engagement ring, Donald Trump did a presidential job back in 2004. The mogul presented his future wife, who then went by Melania Knauss, with a massive 15-carat diamond engagement ring. After Donald popped the question, Melania Trump spoke to the New York Post about the engagement. "It was a great surprise," she said. "We are very happy together." The emerald cut stunner reportedly cost around $1.5 million, with Donald purchasing it from Graff Diamonds. At the time, the savvy businessman claimed he got an amazing deal on the ring, telling The New York Times in 2005 that they discounted the ring by one million dollars. The billionaire-turned-media personality noted at the time, "Only a fool would say, 'No thank you, I want you to pay a million dollars more for a diamond.'"

Once Donald was in office, a different story came to light. In 2018, Forbes reported that the 45th president of the United States did not receive a discount, contacting representatives at Graff Diamonds to get to the bottom of the story. Laurence Graff, the company's chairman, told the outlet that while he was happy to work with Donald on the sale, he received "no favours" at the time of the ring's purchase. The company's CFO, Nicholas Paine, also weighed in, sharing, "We don't sell items for publicity value." Both Graff and Pain wouldn't go on record regarding the ring's actual price. 

Though the traditional 10th anniversary gift is made of tin or aluminum, Donald Trump evidently prefers to take a slightly more expensive route when it's time to honor this milestone. When he and Melania Trump reached a decade of marriage, there was no shortage of sparkle. In 2015, Donald presented his third wife with a diamond even bigger than her gigantic 15-carat engagement ring. The billionaire went back to the same jewelers who created Melania's engagement ring, Graff Diamonds, and purchased a massive 25-carat diamond ring for the big occasion. You thought Melania Trump's worn some expensive outfits over the years? Well, this ring is on another level: Forbes estimated the cost of the jewelry piece to be around $3 million. 

Melania added this impressive rock to her collection a year before her husband won the presidential election. At the time, she probably did not predict that it would lead to controversy once he was in office. The former model donned the diamond in her official White House portrait in 2017, and the opulent piece quickly sparked backlash on social media. A number of critics felt that the photo, which was released shortly after Donald proposed to cut funding for the Meals on Wheels program, was an unabashed display of wealth. As one person wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, "How many hungry people could your diamond ring feed?"

If there's one thing that opulent engagement ring made clear, it is that Donald Trump is not one for minimal jewelry. So, it should come as no surprise that Melania Trump's wedding band is not a simple gold ring. When it came time to select a wedding band for their 2005 nuptials, Melania's addition was just as eye-catching. Once again designed by Donald's go-to jewelers, Graff Diamonds, the chunky ring includes a whopping 15 stunning emerald-cut diamonds that amount to a hefty total 13-carat weight. The piece is estimated to cost around $1 million.

Though all of her wedding and anniversary pieces are beautiful, you likely won't catch the former model wearing her wedding band and one of her diamond rings together. She's typically seen sporting the rings solo, as it is believed the wedding band actually doesn't fit alongside her massive engagement ring or her giant 10th anniversary diamond. She is often seen wearing her sparkly wedding band on her left hand sans one of her larger rocks. 

On January 20, 2017, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States of America. Wife Melania Trump was on hand for the festivities, rocking a classic American designer for the occasion, Ralph Lauren. The former model, who was no stranger to the fashion world thanks to her modeling roots, rocked a custom sky blue number from the iconic fashion house — a mock turtleneck dress and a cropped jacket over top — and added gloves and pumps from the brand as well. A number of outlets likened the look to the inauguration ensemble worn by another famous first lady, Jackie Kennedy, while others noted the color is a favorite of Catherine, Princess of Wales.. And while her outfit stood out, her earrings were equally eye-catching on the big day. 

Melania Trump kept her jewelry simple on Inauguration Day, with gloves obscuring any potential rings and a mock turtleneck preventing the need for a necklace. Instead, she decided to sport simple diamond stud earrings on the big day. The massive princess-cut sparklers were by legendary jeweler Van Cleef and Arpels. Eagle-eyed fashion watchers pointed out that Melania doesn't typically wear earrings, but that these Van Cleef and Arpels beauties made a few appearances during her time as first lady — namely at the Freedom Ball later that night and during a state visit to the U.K. to meet the royal family.

Melania Trump's lavish life is packed with glamorous events. In August 2017, she accompanied husband Donald Trump to the 60th annual Red Cross Ball hosted at their usual residency, Mar-a-Lago. The yearly event was actually held at the Trump resort and residency at its inaugural ball in 1957, and found a home at Mar-a-Lago many times over the years prior to Donald's presidency. But as president of the United States, Donald took on a different role, as the president serves as honorary chairman for the organization. 

Melania turned heads in an exquisite hot pink ballgown at the event. And since she's known to not rock earrings often, that night the jewels on her earlobes were even more newsworthy. Melania chose a vivid color to complement the pink dress — a pair of stunning green emerald drop earrings. The gemstone-clad earrings are estimated to cost over $100,000. When it comes to taking on the role of first lady once more in the future should her husband win the 2024 election, Melania seems up for the task. In May 2023, Melania told Fox News that it would be a "privilege" to serve as first lady again, adding, "He has my support, and we look forward to restoring hope for the future and leading America with love and strength."

One of Melania Trump's more understated pieces, though no less stunning, is her diamond eternity ring. Unlike her massive engagement rings that cost upwards of one million dollars, the former first lady often dons this more subtle piece on her right hand. This diamond ring is also easily confused with her emerald-cut wedding band, but actually features slightly smaller diamonds. Aside from the size difference, it can also be told apart by the stone shape — the eternity band is made up of oval-cut diamonds in lieu of the emerald-cut stones, giving it a softer feel. There is no estimated cost on record for this piece. 

Despite the similarity to her other diamond band, Melania has been known to rock both pieces at the same time on different hands. She's seen here sporting the piece at the Republican National Convention in August 2020 while placing her right hand over her heart during the pledge of allegiance, and she donned the ring earlier that same year at the College Football National Championship playoffs in New Orleans in January. 

Before assuming the position as first lady, Melania Trump often served as Donald Trump's plus one to glamorous Hollywood events early in their marriage. Take the 2005 Primetime Emmy Awards for example, where Melania arrived in a gorgeous pale purple gown with a plethora of diamond accessories. Aside from her massive 15-carat engagement ring, the star sported three chunky diamond-clad bracelets on her left arm. The intricate pieces included floral and geometric diamond-studded designs, and even included diamonds along the bracelets' clasps. 

While Melania won in the fashion department that night at the Primetime Emmy Awards, her husband didn't fare quite as well. That year at the award show, Donald's reality series "The Apprentice" was up for outstanding reality competition program. Although it didn't take home top prize, it wasn't a total loss for the couple. Donald also graced the stage for a memorable performance of "Green Acres" alongside "Will and Grace" star Megan Mullally that night in a skit called "Emmy Idol." Mullally would later reminisce about the performance in 2019 on "The Sunday Project" (via USA Today). "At the time ... I think it was 2004 or 2005, when he was at the height of 'The Apprentice' and everyone thought he was this hilarious caricature... He seemed like a harmless boob," she said. 

Melania Trump always fits right in at fashion events like the Met Gala. She attended the annual bash with Donald Trump a whopping nine times, first attending with her future husband back in 2003 and most recently as guests at the 2012 event. It even holds special memories for the couple, as Donald proposed the night of the Met Gala back in 2004. But when it comes to jewelry, it was her 2006 appearance that stands out to fashion watchers. The beauty is not typically seen sporting necklaces, much less one as diamond-studded as the piece she chose for the event that year. Melania paired the memorable statement necklace with a strapless cream empire-waist gown that night, though her dazzling jewels nearly stole all the spotlight with their sparkle. There's sadly no estimate for how much this special piece cost, or whether or not this was a piece she owned or just wore it on loan for the night. 

That 2006 Met Gala was likely Melania's first big outing in weeks, considering she welcomed her first less than two months prior. The freshly postpartum mother welcomed her first baby, and Donald's youngest child, son Barron Trump, that March. When it comes to the fashion fete, the Trumps likely won't be seen on the red carpet in the near future. On an October 2017 episode of "The Late Late Show with James Corden," Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour shared that she would never again invite Donald to the event.

Back in 2011, Melania Trump attended the Academy Awards with husband Donald Trump. The annual event is the biggest night in Hollywood, with fashion taking center stage. It's no surprise that Melania dazzled at her most recent appearance, which marked her sixth time at the big event. The future first lady donned a sparkly black strapless gown for the occasion, but it was her exquisite earrings that really stole the show. These massive sparklers were nearly the size of her ear, and were put on perfect display thanks to her glamorous upswept hairstyle. 

At an ABC pre-show event, husband Donald joked around that he was nominated that night for "best looking actor," and later admitted he was hoping the film "The King's Speech" would take home top prize. The future president picked a winner — the film ended up winning four Academy Awards that night. Following the big award show, Melania and Donald were also on hand for the most in-demand after party, the Vanity Fair Oscar shindig. Unlike many stars, Melania opted not to make an outfit swap and rocked the same glamorous look to the late night party. The appearance came just weeks before Donald's popular reality show "The Apprentice" would debut its 11th season.