Melania Trump is the first lady of the United States who has been married to Donald Trump since 2005. When the couple tied the knot, she became stepmother to Donald Trump Jr, 41, Ivanka Trump, 38, Eric Trump, 35, and Tiffany Trump, 26. What was her engagement ring like? How did it compare to Ivanka’s?
When Donald proposed, the first lady was given a stunning diamond engagement ring with a whopping price tag, Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77Diamonds.com, explained.
He told Express.co.uk: “When Melania Trump got engaged in 2005, Donald Trump bought her a 15 carat, D Flawless, emerald cut diamond ring from Graff which would today retail for $3m which is around £2.3m.
“At the time, Trump hit the headlines for claiming he had enjoyed a 50 precent discount. Graff was later quoted saying ‘We don’t sell items for publicity value’.”
If the pricey ring wasn’t enough, Donald later upgraded the jewel as a present for his wife.
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Tobias said: “A decade later on their 10th anniversary, Donald Trump upgraded the size of Melania’s ring to a 25 carat diamond, also from Graff – this is the ring Melania decided to wear in her official White House portrait.
“That 10th anniversary ring would today retail for $3.5m or £2.7m – it is significantly larger than Melania’s original engagement ring but it is not D Flawless, which is the top and most coveted diamond quality in existence.”
This means the engagement ring could now be worth an eye-watering £3million.
Melania is the stepmother of Ivanka Trump, who is Donald’s daughter from his first marriage.
“The couple married in 2009. It is thought to be designed by Ivanka but Jared chose the central diamond. She rarely wears it.”
Both Melania and Ivanka were given lavish jewels when they were proposed to.
However, Melania was given the priciest item costing five times more than Ivanka’s.
Melania Trump: Five facts about the USA’s First Lady
Languages
Mum-of-one Melania can speak more languages than any other First Lady before her: English, French, German, Italian, Serbian and of course her mother tongue, Slovenian.
This also makes her the only First Lady whose first language is not English.
Religion
After Jacqueline Kennedy, Melania is the second First Lady who is a practising Catholic.
She met Pope Francis as part of a foreign tour with her husband and stepdaughter Ivanka last year.
Career
Melania was a successful model, posing for Sports Illustrated, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and GQ.
Her skills aren’t confined to print, and she appeared in a commercial for Aflac, an American insurance company, in 2005.
Family
Melania’s parents are Amalija Knavs and Viktor Knavs, and the couple live together in Washington.
She has one sister, Ines, who is reported to live in New York and work as an artist.
Charity
On May 7 2018, Melania launched her flagship campaign as First Lady, BE BEST, which The White House describes as “an awareness campaign focused entirely around the well-being of children”.
There are three main strands to the initiative: well-being, social media, and opioid abuse.