Ringing Up ‘Sex and the City’ Engagements: Experts Reveal If Mr. Big or Aidan Handed Over More

Since the Sex and the City series finale first aired, a heated debate has raged surrounding which boyfriend Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) should have ended up with, Mr. Big (Chris Noth) or Aidan Shaw (John Corbett). (Jack Berger stans, seek help.)

This crucial query has torn the show’s fandom asunder for a decade-plus. But now, with the return of Carrie’s former carpenter fiancé Aidan in the second season of And Just Like That…, it seems that age-old question can finally be put to bed once and for all. And, as it turns out, Aidan might have actually been the better catch all along, at least based on his taste in high-priced jewelry.

While both Aidan and Big proposed to Carrie with some seriously massive diamonds, according to Jenny Klatt and Stephanie Wynne Lalin of fine jeweler Jemma Wynne, Aidan’s was actually the more expensive engagement ring of the two.

For his first proposal, the furniture builder bought Carrie a ring she was less than impressed by — a pear-shaped diamond on a gold band chosen with the help of Miranda. But in the end, Aidan got it right, upgrading the accessory with the help of Samantha to a 3-carat Asscher-cut diamond from Harry Winston.

Hbo/Darren Star Productions/Kobal/Shutterstock; HBO

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After standing her up at the altar and proposing to her with a pair of blue Manolo Blahnik pumps in the first film, in the second Sex and the City movie Big gifts Bradshaw a 5-carat black diamond as a token of his renewed commitment to their relationship. To make the bauble even more special, Parker actually designed the unusual ring herself in collaboration with SATC costume designer Patricia Field and jewelry designer Itay Malkin.

getty; HBO

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Big’s diamond may have been the bigger and the flashier of the two, but it’s actually Aidan’s ring that is worth more on the market today.

Klatt and Lalin tell PEOPLE, “While white and black diamonds have distinct characteristics that contribute to their differing values in the market, and evolving trends in the jewelry industry continue to influence the perceived value of each diamond type, the white diamond 3-carat Asscher cut diamond that Aidan gave Carrie would be more valuable than the 5-carat black diamond Big gave to Carrie. The 3-carat Asscher is more rare in nature, which significantly drives up their value in comparison to black diamonds even if they are larger.”

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But while both those rings are very impressive — and expensive — it turns out they pale in comparison to another engagement ring on the show.

“The most valuable ring in the series would most likely be the Harry Winston canary diamond ring that Richard (James Remar) presented to Samantha (Kim Cattrall),” Klatt and Lalin reveal.

“While we don’t know the exact carat weight to compare it to other impressive rings from the show, like Charlotte’s (Kristin Davis) emerald cut engagement ring from Harry (Evan Handler), photos of the ring indicate that it’s much larger and rare.”

Unfortunately for Richard, no matter how large or rare the diamond may have been, it just wasn’t meant to be. In the words of Samantha, “Honey, you know me, I don’t really believe in marriage; now Botox on the other hand, that works every time.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education