“I can’t say with certainty which ring was Jackie’s swimming ring,” Marion Fasel, jewelry historian and founder of The Adventurine, tells Vogue, although Tempelsman is thought to have helped design Bessette-Kennedy’s band. The first lady’s swimming ring is believed to have been gifted to her by her diamond dealer and long-time companion Maurice Tempelsman, although there is some speculation that the inspiration for Bessette-Kennedy’s engagement band was a Schlumberger Sixteen Stone ring that also belonged to her mother-in-law. Salt and Pepper Diamond Engagement Ring, Art deco Pear shaped Yellow gold wedding ring set, Antique Salt And Pepper Bridal set, Minimalist. Bessette-Kennedy reportedly told the journalist (a friend whose husband Anthony Radziwill was Jackie’s nephew), at the time that her engagement band, featuring round-cut sapphires and diamonds on a platinum band, was “a copy of a ring mother wore”. Original Price 49.90 (60 off) Add to Favorites. In fact, the eldest son of JFK was inspired by a gold and emerald band that belonged to his mother, Jackie Kennedy, which she dubbed her “swimming ring”, according to Carole Radziwill’s book What Remains.
It makes sense, then, that when John F Kennedy Jr proposed to her in 1995, he opted for a pared-back engagement ring that was in keeping with the rest of her wardrobe. As the poster girl for ’90s minimalism, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s jewellery collection was decidedly unflashy.
