Mariah Carey's 'Epic' Engagement Ring Is 35 Carats (PHOTO)

Mariah Carey's new $7.5 million engagement ring is undoubtedly huge, but how does it compare to other celebrity diamonds?

Published on January 22, 2016 03:54 PM

Mariah Carey‘s name is practically synonymous with “ridiculously huge diamonds in large quantities.” Her jewelry collection probably contains more carats than most jewelry stores, and she practically puts on sparkling chandelier earrings to go to the gym. So, naturally, when James Packer, her boyfriend of nearly a year, popped the question last night in N.Y.C., he came armed with an engagement ring that would blow the rest of the singer’s arsenal of mega-watt precious stones out of the water.

247PAPS.TV/Splash News Online

And yes, the rumors are true: the Wilfredo Rosado-designed ring is beyond enormous. It’s 35 whopping carats, in fact. And sure, to some, it might be a tad over-the-top … until you remember that she is Mariah Carey and he is a multi-billionaire and the fourth richest man in Australia. This is essentially the billionaire’s equivalent of he pulled out of a Crackerjack box.

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Mark Von Holden/Variety/REX/Shutterstock; Inset: Wilfredo Rosado

Justin Chin/Bloomberg/Getty; courtesy Wilfred Rosado

Vogue.com has all the scoop on the ring, including an interview with Rosado, who, they report, has been a friend of Carey’s for more than 25 years — and thus, knows quite a bit about the diva’s exacting expectations. “I took the standards super high, and I wanted to create a ring that could not be measured up to,” Rosado said, adding that it took two weeks to create. “It was about mixing simplicity with volume, which is very difficult to do … It’s an epic ring for an epic time in her life.”

Justin Chin/Bloomberg/Getty; courtesy Wilfred Rosado

And though he knew Carey would love it (“We have the same taste, and when it came down to it, I really wanted to create something for her that was about new beginnings,” ) he still felt the pressure of creating such a huge (literally and figuratively) statement piece. “This was the most challenging piece of jewelry I’ve ever designed,” he said. “I wanted to create the most gorgeous ring for my dear friend, but I also wanted to create the most stunning ring for one of the most iconic divas of our generation.”

Related Video: Mariah Carey’s ring from James Packer is massive!

With this new iceberg cresting on her ring finger, Carey joins a rarefied club of mega-carat-sporting celebrities. Angelina Jolie’s “perfect” Robert Procop gem is equally knuckle-spanning, made up of the highest-quality conflict-free diamonds. Gabrielle Union’s $1 million, 8.5-carat cushion-cut ring from Jason of Beverly Hills can practically be seen from outer space.

Getty(5); Gabrielle Union/Instagram; Dave Allocca/Startraks; Fern / Splash News

When Beyoncé advised Jay Z to put a ring on it, she would only accept the best and the brightest, which in this case translates to a $5 million 18-carat diamond in a setting designed by Lorraine Schwartz.

And then, of course, there’s Kim Kardashian’s 15-carat Lorraine Schwartz solitaire so big it barely fit into a six-month-old North West’s fist.

What do you think of Mariah Carey’s engagement? Which of these mega-carat engagement rings is your favorite?

–Emily Kirkpatrick