Paris Hilton Had A Good Reason To Keep Her Engagement Ring From Chris Zylka
Prior to her current union, Paris Hilton had plans to tie the knot with another celebrity. Back in 2017, Hilton shared on social media that she and actor Chris Zylka were seeing one another. In an Instagram post from 2018, Hilton stated that Zylka had proposed, and she said yes. "So happy & excited to be engaged to the love of my life," Hilton said. "My best friend & soulmate. Perfect for me in every way."
After the proposal, the hotel heiress opened up to People about her reaction to the engagement ring Zylka offered her. "The ring was so gorgeous and sparkling. I was shaking as I put it on," Hilton said. "It is the most beautiful ring that I have ever seen!" In 2020, however, Hilton told Cosmopolitan U.K. her engagement to Zylka had been called off. "It was the best decision I've ever made in my life," Hilton said of splitting from Zylka. "I just don't think [he] was the right person, and I feel like I'm an incredible woman, and I deserve someone so amazing."
Though she was ready to leave the relationship behind, Hilton chose to keep the engagement ring from Zylka in her possession.
Paris Hilton says the valuable engagement ring Chris Zylka gave her 'was free'
Paris Hilton decided to hold on to her engagement ring from former fiance Chris Zylka, which she says came without a price tag. In December 2018, Hilton was interviewed on "The Jenny McCarthy Show," during which McCarthy brought up the subject of the ring. Hilton stated, "The person who we got it from got millions and millions of dollars of free publicity. So I love how social media has basically become a new form of money." McCarthy then directly asked Hilton whether she had kept the ring. Hilton said, "Yeah," before adding, "Diamonds are a girl's best friend."
A month prior to this, TMZ had been told by sources that Zylka wanted Hilton to return the ring to him. Though it was worth a reported $2 million, the news site wrote that the impressive piece of jewelry came with "a massive discount" for Zylka. Additionally, the jeweler was a friend of Hilton's. Later, in December, TMZ caught up with Hilton at LAX. The reality TV personality confirmed the ring was still in her possession and revealed that Zylka didn't pay anything for it. "It's mine," Hilton said of the ring. "It was free." Since this breakup aftermath, Hilton has ended up in a new, loving partnership.
Paris Hilton has moved on to marry Carter Reum
Following some engagement ring drama with her ex Chris Zylka, Paris Hilton has found lasting love with Carter Reum. In 2020, Hilton spoke to People about her connection with Reum, who is a businessperson and longtime friend of Hilton's. "I've known him for 15 years. Then [Reum's sister Halle Hammond] invited us to Thanksgiving, and we just had this incredible chemistry," Hilton said. "We had our first date and haven't spent a night apart since." The pair had been dating for nearly one year at the time of this interview. Vogue then reported in February 2021 that Hilton and Reum were engaged. As Reum and Hilton were visiting a private island for Hilton's birthday, Reum popped the question with an emerald-cut diamond ring. "I am excited about this next chapter and having such a supportive partner," Hilton said. She added, "[Reum] was absolutely worth the wait!"
This time around, Hilton's engagement ring is one with special features that Reum came up with. The jeweler behind Hilton's ring, Jean Dousset, told The Knot that "[Reum's] focus was on how many details and personal touches, big and small, that he could add to the ring to represent how much he loves Paris." Like the ring Zylka gave Hilton, the ring from Reum is valued at about $2 million. As of this writing, Reum and Hilton are still going strong. Their first child, a baby boy, was born via surrogate, per People.