The Lesser-Known Story Of Marilyn Monroe's Only Engagement Ring (That We Know Of)

Like many other elements of her life, Marilyn Monroe's engagement ring from her nine-month marriage to Joe DiMaggio was veiled in mystery. The screen goddess and baseball star wed in January 1954, two years after they started dating. It was a low-key affair at San Francisco City Hall, with Monroe wearing a dark-chocolate suit instead of the traditional white dress. However, the engagement ring attached to this union was anything but low-key. 

Fans got their first glimpse at Monroe's ring when she stepped outside with DiMaggio immediately after they tied the knot. The "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" star was wearing a platinum diamond eternity band which had no less than 36 baguette-cut diamonds. But many of the details surrounding the ring have never been clarified. To this day, we don't know where DiMaggio bought the ring from, whether he had it personally designed based on Monroe's tastes, or whether she actually requested the baguette style over the classic engagement-ring style. Some theorize that the ring was her choice (so an eternity band may be another way to incorporate Marilyn Monroe's iconic style into your 2026 'fits), but this has never been confirmed.

Likewise, we don't have official confirmation that the ring Monroe was seen wearing outside her wedding ceremony was the same ring that she wore for the rest of her marriage to DiMaggio. Scott Fortner of The Marilyn Monroe Collection argues that the eternity band was actually a placeholder used just for that day, since the two got married with little notice despite dating for two years. With both Monroe and DiMaggio having long since passed away, no one can confirm if this is true or not. Along the same lines, we have an idea of what became of the stunning piece of jewelry, but that hasn't stopped rumors and theories from circulating.

Whether it was a placeholder for her wedding day and later replaced with her official engagement ring, the piece that Marilyn Monroe wore on her wedding day in January 1954 is an important piece of history. Though the Hollywood legend was married three times (first to Jim Dougherty in 1942, then to Joe DiMaggio in 1954, and finally to Arthur Miller in 1956), the diamond eternity band is thought to be the only engagement ring that she had, not including a simple gold band Miller gave her. This circlet is remembered as a unique celebrity engagement ring that broke the mold, with some fans even creating replicas to sell. Sadly, its current whereabouts remain unknown.

After being valued at only $50,000, the diamond eternity band was auctioned by Christie's in a 1999 collection called "The Personal Property of Marilyn Monroe," fetching more than $770,000. By then, it was missing one of the 36 diamond baguettes, but that didn't stop the bidding war. 10 years later, it was sold again for over $515,000, this time dropping in value after passing hands too many times — far from one of the most expensive celebrity engagement rings. Since the subsequent sale was never made public, we don't know who bought the ring, what they did with it, and where it is now.

Some fans have theorized that despite the auction records, Monroe's ring was buried with her when she died in 1962, not even 10 years after her wedding to DiMaggio. If Scott Fortner's theory is true, and the ring photographed on Marilyn Monroe's wedding day wasn't the same ring that she wore throughout her short marriage to DiMaggio, then there would be two rings that have since dropped off the radar, and the mystery deepens.