When Celine Dion announced to the world that her manager René Angélil had proposed to her in 1993, the pair had already been secretly engaged for close to two years; that announcement was also the first time the international superstar revealed that she and Angélil were together. There were reasons for the couple’s decision to keep their romance private, including their 26 year age difference and longstanding professional relationship. According to Dion, however, sharing the news was both frightening and liberating. “I was afraid of what people would think,” Dion told People in 1994. “When you're in love, you want to scream it to the world.” 

In actuality, Angélil had proposed to Dion in 1991—and he did so with a massive asscher-cut diamond, which clocked in at over four carats. The “Power of Love” singer showed off the ring (“I’m very proud,” she said) and shared the details of her then-fiancé’s proposal, which unfolded on her birthday after she returned home from a doctor's appointment in New York City, on Leno in 1994. “He’s picking me up at the airport and I said I have to stop talking because I have to rest my voice. He says, ‘Just give me 15 minutes because I want to give you a gift and I want to have your impression of the gift,” she told host Jay Leno. “And I said, okay, I’ll wait.” When they arrived at their hotel, Dion noticed that he was nervous—and that he was very focused on the ambience and lighting of the room (he opened and closed the curtains a few times as he attempted to set the perfect mood).

When he finally settled, he tried to get a few words out, which is when he began to cry. “He takes out a box from his pocket and he’s holding the box in his hands—and I still don’t know what’s going on and he’s crying like a baby,” said Dion. “He said, ‘I’ve never done something like this before, it’s my first time, and I love you so much.’ And I said, ‘René stop crying, just give me the box!’” Hilariously, Angélil got sidetracked when he opened the box; the lights in the room went off, room service came in, and apparently it took Dion 30 minutes to actually see the ring—which she was immediately ecstatic about. The singer told Leto at the conclusion of her story that she and Angélil had hoped to be married by November of that year.

That wish almost came to pass; the pair ultimately tied the knot on December 17, 1994, in an opulent, televised ceremony at Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal (we all remember Dion’s Swarovski crystal headpiece!). The pair remained happily married for 22 years (during which they welcome three sons) up until Angélil’s death in 2016, following a cancer battle. Dion opened up about the impact of his loss a year later, while speaking at the 2017 Grammy Awards: “There's days when I feel that it’s been three years, and there’s days that I feel it’s not happening," she said of her grief. “He’s always with me."

As for what she did with her engagement ring from Angélil in the wake of his death? Despite the fact that she adored her diamond, Dion rarely wore it during the pair’s marriage; after their nuptials, she switched to a diamond-studded gold band (and regularly wore other impressive rings), and kept the special piece tucked away. Dion has never publicly shared what she did with the asscher-cut stone, though it’s more than likely that it remains in her possession—especially since the singer has always rejected the idea of another relationship and noted that she would “grieve [Angélil's loss] the rest of my life,” she said during an interview with The Sun, per People. "I miss him a lot.”

Though it’s possible that Dion will also want to hold onto this memento of Angélil for the remainder of her life, she might pass it down to one of her sons someday. Should René-Charles, who is 23, and twins Nelson or Eddy, who are 14, decide to tie the knot in the future, they could very well pop the question with the heirloom their father gave to their mother in 1991.