George Russell and Carmen Montero Mundt will soon be driving off into the sunset as husband and wife. The British Formula 1 Driver popped the question to his girlfriend in a romantic beach proposal and presented her with a ring the color of sunshine.
The newly engaged couple shared several photos of the romantic evening in a joint Instagram post, captioning it with two simple emojis: “💍🤍.”
In the first photo, Russell kissed his bride-to-be as she held onto his shoulder and showed off her beautiful bling.
In the next picture, Montero Mundt held her hand up to the camera and admired her ring as her fiancé beamed at her. The skincare brand co-founder struck an elated pose in the next photo, with her arms in the air.
All eyes were on Montero Mundt’s unique ring when the happy couple shared their exciting news.
Want to learn more about the yellow gem? TODAY.com spoke with a few jewelry pros to find out details.
Montero Mundt’s Yellow Ring Has Three Stones
The sparkler features three stones, with what appears to be a yellow oval diamond in the middle. Jeweler Carmeron Malakan, owner of Clairamor, calls this an “incredibly striking ring.”
“The design feels timeless because of the traditional three stone silhouette, but the rich yellow hue of the oval center diamond gives it a distinctive and modern personality. It is elegant and luxurious without feeling overly trendy,” he says.
Part of the appeal comes down to color and proportions. The side stones frame the center beautifully while “allowing the yellow diamond to remain the star,” he says. The yellow gold setting is also an “excellent choice” because it “complements and enhances the center diamond’s warmth rather than competing with its color.”
Asher Wiener, one of the founders of lab-grown diamond brand Luma Jewellery, also took note of the color and proportions.
“The step cuts on either side flash slowly instead of sparkling, so nothing competes with the yellow. Someone in that process knew exactly what they were doing,” he says.
Is it a Diamond or Sapphire?
Malakan says colored stones have become popular as couples look for engagement rings that feel “distinctive and personal,” but jewelers are divided over whether this particular stone is a diamond or a sapphire.
When it comes to yellow diamonds, the challenge comes in finding the right color, since they vary significantly in hue, tone, and saturation. Yellow diamonds are graded on a scale, from light yellow ending with fancy vivid yellow, the most sought-after pure yellow color.
The yellow hue comes from the amount of nitrogen in the crystal, and which is what makes them difficult to procure in nature. “A large, clean, genuinely vivid yellow is extraordinarily rare in nature. You cannot simply order one,” Garrett McMartin of Draco Diamond says.
Meanwhile, jeweler Matt Harris says it’s “much easier to source a yellow sapphire” than a yellow diamond, which leads him to believe this is in fact a sapphire. Sapphires come in more colors than the typical blue, including yellow, pink, green and purple.
What Does the Ring Cost?
If the center stone is a appears to be a fancy intense or fancy vivid yellow diamond with a “high clarity grade,” which Malakan believes it to be, this ring could be in the $500,000 to 600,000 range.
But factors like exceptional color, clarity or the involvement of a prestigious designer could bring its value closer to $1 million, with the center diamond accounting for the vast majority of the overall price, he says.
McMartin estimates the center stone would be worth between $250,000 and $500,000, but could be higher.
Wiener believes the stone to be between eight and 10 carats. “If the color grade came back fancy vivid, which is the top of the scale, big stones like that trade north of $100,000 a carat and the ring is comfortably over $1 million, maybe $1.5 million,” he says.
Meanwhile, if the center stone is a sapphire, Harris says the approximately 10 carat stone could range in price from $60,000 to $80,000.
Montero Mundt’s Yellow Ring Fits in with Recent Trends
Montero Mundt joins Heidi Klum, Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson, who also had yellow engagement rings.
Beyond celebrities, jewelers say colorful engagement rings have been growing in popularity as a way for buyers to choose something distinct.
“Color is not breaking from the market, it is leading it. Colored center stones are the most obvious way buyers say they want something individual,” McMartin says, adding that yellow is the “most requested” color.
