Quick Links
Mariah Carey is one of the most successful singers of her time, but the same cannot be said about her past relationships and marriages. Several years ago, the “Butterfly” singer dated Australian media mogul James Packer. And their short romance led to an engagement.
After confirming their relationship following a public appearance in 2015, the then-couple got engaged just months later. Packer gifted Carey with a 35-carat engagement ring with a massive diamond. And according to reports, the jewelry cost $10 million.
Where’s the engagement ring?
Ten months after they got engaged, People announced that Carey and Packer have called it quits. A year later, the media mogul said that Carey is a woman with substance, but their relationship was a mistake for both parties.
In 2018, Carey sold the engagement ring for $2.1 million as part of the financial settlement that she made with Packer after their split.
“A confidentiality agreement was signed, but the jeweler is currently selling it, and there's only one such ring. Mariah Carey's public relations people are desperately trying to keep the story from the press, and have threatened the jeweler with litigation if he discloses her name," the source added.
Back then, her publicist explained why it was necessary for the singer to get rid of the expensive ring.
“Mariah has been very vocal recently about her choice to move forward in her life surrounded by positivity. That requires leaving emotional and material baggage behind, including an old engagement ring from an ex-boyfriend," Carey's publicist told Page Six.
The singer’s shocking tell-all
Last year, Carey sat down for an interview with The Guardian, where she explained why Packer wasn’t mentioned in her memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey.
“If it was a relationship that mattered, it's in the book. If not, it didn't occur. We didn't have a physical relationship, to be honest with you,” she said.
Despite the exes’ tumultuous relationship, there’s no denying that Packer was the one that gave Carey the most expensive engagement ring that she ever owned.
Mariah Carey’s other rings
For her first engagement, Tommy Mottola gifted Carey with an emerald cut diamond ring that was valued at less than $500,000.
By the time that the exes wed, Carey was just 23 years old and Mottola was 43 years old. In her memoir, the award-winning singer described her ex-husband as a controlling father figure.
Carey also said that she felt like they were in a prison-like marriage that lasted for five years.
While speaking with Cosmopolitan, Carey explained why she felt this way during her previous marriage.
“There was no freedom for me as a human being. You might want to picture a young child bride. There was a conscious effort to keep me as this all-American — whatever that means — girl. There was no freedom for me as a human being. It was almost like being a prisoner,” she said.
After their divorce in 1998, Carey waited 10 years before she tied the knot again. This time around, she wed Nick Cannon.
The former America’s Got Talent host gave Carey a 17-carat pink and white diamond ring with a 10.02 emerald cut pink diamond in the center. The ring reportedly cost $2.5 million.
After eight years of marriage, Carey and Cannon decided to call it quits. Today, they co-parent their twins, Moroccan and Monroe.
The singer’s net worth
By the looks of it, Carey didn’t feel like it was a loss to not be able to keep her engagement ring from Packer. After all, she can buy several rings for herself.
The “Hero” singer’s net worth is estimated at $320 million, and she also happens to be one of the richest singers in the world.
In 1990, Carey dropped her self-titled album under Columbia Records. Initially, the sales were slow but they eventually picked up. The album was certified 9 times platinum in the United States alone. The album also sold 15 million copies worldwide.
A year later, Carey released her second album, “Emotions.” It was also a huge success, but it still didn’t compare to the success that she got from her third album, “Music Box.”
The rest is history for Carey’s career. No wonder she recently admitted to being high-maintenance and said that she’s not one to settle.
“You know what? I don't give an [expletive]… I am high-maintenance because I deserve to be at this point. That may sound arrogant, but I hope you frame it within the context of coming from nothing. If I can't be high-maintenance after working my ass off my entire life, oh, I'm sorry — I didn't realize we all had to be low-maintenance,” she said to ABC News Radio.
Source: People, Brides, Cosmopolitan, The Guardian, ABC News Radio