Key Takeaways
- On November 30, 1940, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz eloped just six months after first meeting each other.
- At the time, Arnaz gave his bride a brass ring. However, he later gifted her a cushion-cut diamond and an aquamarine jewel.
- The aquamarine jewel, which Ball frequently wore as an engagement ring, was stolen from a Chicago hotel in 1950.
- The piece was never recovered.
When Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz first met on the set of Too Many Girls in 1940, it didn't take long for their relationship to turn romantic. Just six months after their initial introduction, the two tied the knot, eloping in Greenwich, Connecticut, on November 30, 1940. "Eloping with Desi was the most daring thing I ever did in my life," Ball said, according to Warren G. Harris, who wrote a biography on the duo's relationship. "I knew I shouldn’t have married him, but that was one of the biggest attractions." The nuptials were scheduled at the last minute, and due to the lack of planning, Arnaz gave his bride a brass ring from the Woolworth's five-and-dime store, according to Sarah Royal's A.K.A. Lucy: The Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucille Ball.
However, that wasn't the only hurdle the two encountered in scheduling their ceremony. That day, Arnaz was also expected to perform two shows at the Roxy Theatre in New York City with his band. Ultimately, he missed the first gig. However, he and Ball appeared on stage for the second one—and even celebrated their status as newlyweds with a reception backstage, Royal wrote. Soon after becoming husband and wife, Arnaz upgraded his wife's engagement ring, giving her a cushion-cut diamond. Yet, even if that accessory symbolized the union between the two, it wasn't the only engagement ring Arnaz gave his new wife. He also reportedly gifted her an emerald-cut aquamarine stone that she also frequently wore on her left ring finger. The actor was rumored to have selected the jewel for the I Love Lucy star to match her light blue eyes.
Where Is Lucille Ball's Aquamarine Ring?
While the jeweler behind the aquamarine stone isn't known, the stone was thought to be approximately 40 carats. And even though some believe that Arnaz purchased the piece for his new wife on his own, others believe that the actress played a key role in selecting the sparkler. Tragically, while the duo did eventually divorce in 1960, the actress's beloved aquamarine ring disappeared prior to that.
Along with other pieces from the star's collection, the stone was reportedly stolen from a hotel room in Chicago on June 1, 1950. According to a newspaper clipping from the time, over $6,000 worth of jewelry (equivalent to approximately $80,000 today) was taken in the burglary. "Detective Martin Barrett said the theft last night was a professional job," the report read. "Evidently a pass key was used to enter the rooms at the Ambassador East hotel, the detective said, and only light, valuable articles were taken." The piece appears never to have been recovered.
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What Happened to Lucille Ball's Brass Band and Cushion-Cut Diamond Ring?
While the whereabouts of Ball's other two engagement rings—the brass band and the cushion-cut diamond—are not confirmed, some reports indicate that the former held a lot of sentimental value for the actress, and, as a result, she kept it as part of her collection for a number of years, even after she and Arnaz split. That piece, along with the cushion-cut diamond, may have been privately sold or passed down to the couple's children, Lucie and Desi Jr., following the actress's death.
