Carmen Electra Shows Off Her Engagement Ring, Talks Marriage and Kids

"Deep down, I feel like I'm ready," to have children, says the actress

Showing off her black diamond engagement ring set in white diamonds, Carmen Electra talked about her upcoming marriage to guitarist Rob Patterson last night during a visit to the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

“I like this ring because it is gothic,” says the actress – wearing a sparkly blue cocktail dress designed by Jenny Packham – who was dealt the first hand of blackjack ever played at the casino.

Rocker Patterson, who officially inaugurated the casino’s new card games by smashing a guitar into bits as confetti exploded, proposed to Electra on her 36th birthday, April 20, at Pure Nightclub in Las Vegas.

“She’s a really great girl,” Patterson, 37, a former touring guitarist with the alternative rock band Korn, tells PEOPLE. “She’s beautiful.”

Electra, who was previous married to rocker Dave Navarro and NBA star Dennis Rodman, said that making a relationship work is tough.

“You have to stay connected and make an effort,” Electra tells PEOPLE. “We’re taking it slow and have no wedding date yet. We have been friends for eight years and even had one date a long time ago. We connect on a lot of different levels.”

As for having children, “someday we probably will,” says Electra. “Deep down, I feel like I’m ready. But it’s a big commitment. I don’t know.”

In the meantime, Electra and Patterson are testing the waters with a trio of tiny dogs. “For now, we have Daisy, a Yorkshire Terrier, Keiko, a Pomeranian, and Roxy, a Maltese,” says Electra. “We are very happy!”