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Kaitlyn Bristowe Might Be One Of The Only ‘Bachelor’ Nation Stars To Get To Keep Her Neil Lane Ring After A Split
It looks like there might be one silver lining to former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe‘s tragic split from fiancé Shawn Booth. Every Bachelor Nation fan knows that if you get engaged on any of the franchises, jewelry legend Neil Lane stops by to offer you a slew of stunning rings to propose with. These rings can be tens of thousands of dollars (sometimes over six figures!) so one of the first questions on fans’ minds after a breakup is usually “what happens to the ring?” Well, for once, it seems like Kaitlyn might actually get to keep it.
While Bach contestants are offered the bling free of charge, they don’t actually own it for several years, probably to ensure that people don’t cheat the system to get a free ring. According to Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure author Amy Kaufman, “If you make it to the end of The Bachelor and decide to get married within the two years following the show, the producers own the exclusive rights to your wedding. As for the ring given to you by Neil Lane? You don’t own it — and therefore can’t sell it — for two years.”
Host Chris Harrison himself has confirmed that couples need to return the rings based on how long they were engaged, though he didn’t give specific timeframes. “There’s some rule, after a certain number of years, you get to keep it anyway. But after months … it goes back,” he told ET in 2016.
That means most former Bachelor Nation couples, Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi, Jordan Kimball and Jenna Cooper, Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell — the list goes on and on — were forced to return the stunning (and valuable) piece of jewelry. However, Kaitlyn and Shawn were together far longer than most couples, (at least, the ones that have broken up). The pair was engaged for three years after filming ended until announcing their split on Nov. 2. That technically means they should be able to keep the ring, which was reportedly the most expensive in show history at $150,000.
It’s easy to see why it was so pricey. The Neil Lane dazzler featured a massive 3.5-carat diamond with 160 smaller diamonds surrounding it. Hypothetically, Kaitlyn should be allowed to hawk it for a pretty penny. Or, perhaps, she and Shawn will split the profits, since they’ve both promised they want to stay friends. Fans noticed that Kait stopped wearing the ring months ago, so perhaps it’s already long gone. So far, neither Kaitlyn nor ABC has responded to requests for comment about the ring situation.
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