E! Online had a juicy post this month answering the question the most astute celebrity engagement observers have been asking: Just exactly how can some of these boyfriends afford the gargantuan engagement rings for their famous fiancées? I mean, how can someone with an average job (or in some cases no job at all) put down a few months’ salary and be able to afford a five-carat ring?
They asked California based jeweler Johnny Brokeheart for some insight “When boyfriends are paying we often arrange creative financing. For celebrity clients I typically ask for half the value down and generously finance the rest for a long term…. We keep a team of experts on retainer who can help us value and collateralize almost everything under the sun. Houses, horses, art, watches, etc. We’ll either help them secure a loan with their assets, or we may just make a trade.” If the guy really needs help, the couple may shill for the jewelry company in exchange for a break." The jeweler says most celebrities wouldn’t be caught dead in a ring worth less than $50,000. (A more typical value for a star’s engagement ring these days: At least $100,000 to $250,000.) “There are discounts for celebrities, and oftentimes those discounts depend on how willing the star is to assist in crediting the jeweler after the proposal. It’s always a negotiation, but this is where being A-list really pays off.”
So the unemployed boyfriend sells everything he owns so he can pay for part of an engagement ring? Is this really the best way to start off your marriage?
At that point you might as well start a similar technique for everything you buy. Can you imagine reading something like this in the tabloids?
"Jessica Simpson only likes to eat the best rotisserie chicken, so she and her fiancée rely on the deli counter at Pavillon's Grocery Store to prepare her weekly dinner. They know that a family that eats potato salad together, stays together."
Or this:
"Eddie Cibrian loves his fiancée LeAnn Rimes so much he likes to ensure she only has the best toilet paper. That is why he swings by Target twice a week to buy Charmin Ultra."
Why not milk it for all it is worth?
-Kate Casey
Kate Casey is a Pop Culture Lover. PR Pro. New mom. Comedy nerd. Celebrity gossip fan. Follow her on Twitter
