What We Know About Marilyn Monroe's Reported One And Only Engagement Ring

Despite being married three times, Marilyn Monroe only ever had one engagement ring. The sole ring came from her second husband, Joe DiMaggio. After two years of dating, DiMaggio and Monroe made a spontaneous decision to marry in a small, private ceremony, so they slipped out to San Francisco City Hall on January 14, 1954. Unfortunately, word quickly spread and what was supposed to be a discreet, impromptu ceremony turned into a media frenzy. But the one perk of having photographers on hand was that future generations got a glimpse of a diamond ring on Monroe's finger.

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Some historians believe that Monroe may have worn a smaller engagement ring for her wedding to DiMaggio. but surprisingly, Monroe was never seen wearing the ring again. According to Scott Fortner, founder of The Marilyn Monroe Collection, the assumption is that the ring was an heirloom from the DiMaggio family and was simply used as a stand-in on their spontaneous wedding day because DiMaggio proposed to Monroe without a ring. However, later, DiMaggio gave Monroe a platinum eternity ring featuring 36 baguette-cut diamonds. In 1999, long after Monroe died, the eternity ring was sold at Christie's auction for $772,500. This ring functioned as both Monroe's engagement and wedding ring, while the reported smaller ring is lost to history. For such a glamorous figure, Monroe's iconic style was informed by one major desire: comfort. In this light, a cumbersome, ostentatious ring obviously didn't suit her, and so the more humble wedding ring story makes a little more sense. 

Marilyn Monroe was first married to police officer Jim Dougherty. They married on June 19, 1942, when Monroe was only 16 years old and went by her birth name, Norma Jean Baker. The marriage was more a matter of convenience than anything else. Monroe's foster parents encouraged the nuptials to keep Monroe out of an orphanage. There's no information about any ring that Monroe might have received from Dougherty, either from their engagement or their marriage. They divorced in 1946. 

Monroe went on to marry Yankees icon Joe DiMaggio in 1954, but they divorced after nine months of marriage. Later, Monroe married playwright Arthur Miller in a small ceremony in 1956 in White Plains, New York. Again, Monroe received a family heirloom ring. According to Vogue, Miller presented Monroe with a 22-carat-gold ring that belonged to his mother. Miller had designed a ring with Cartier, but it wasn't ready in time, so he had to use a family piece. 

It's not totally unusual for people to use family heirloom rings as wedding rings. After all, in a guide to the royals' gorgeous engagement rings, many of these came from earlier generations, like Kate Middleton's sapphire engagement ring that had previously belonged to Princess Diana. And Monroe's contemporary, Lucille Ball, had two engagement rings, because Desi Arnaz hastily bought a simple brass ring for their spontaneous elopement. So it's certainly not uncommon for people to have unconventional stories around their wedding and engagement rings, just like Monroe did.