The public has had a long fascination with celebrity diamond engagement rings, and who wouldn’t with engagement rings that hit the $1 million mark. The fascination lies in the true Hollywood love story and engagements that are a dream come true. Here are just a few of the most famous celebrity diamond engagement rings that caused worldwide attention.

Katherine Heigl

The Grey’s Anatomy star has a unique pear-shaped stone surrounded by pave diamonds.

Jennifer Hudson

The Oscar-nominated singer/actress is known for her large voice, but she is also known for her large engagement ring. Her Neil Lane ring has a 5 carat center stone.

Princess Diana

Lady Diana revolutionized the sapphire engagement ring nearly a decade before it became trendy.

Jennifer Aniston

Brad Pitt teamed up with Damiani Jewelry to create this unique, swirly design.

Courtney Cox

This ring, which has two center stones instead of one, has a unique “figure 8″ design.

Carmen Electra

The former model caused a little bit of jewelry controversy with this unconventional black diamond engagement ring.

Paris Hilton

Although her engagement to Paris Latsis did not last, she did get to walk away with this huge 15 carat rock.

Mariah Carey

Nick Cannon proposed to the singer with this unique pink gold engagement ring. The ring is a unique design that only Mariah owns.

Jennifer Lopez

Her $6 million 6.1 carat rock given to her by then fiance Ben Affleck revolutionized pink diamond engagement rings.

Kara Dioguardi

The American Idol judge went with a champagne citrone stone instead of a diamond.

Do you just love the latest engagement ring styles being worn by the movie stars, uber wealthy, and celebrities? Sadly, for many of us, our cash flow is not in the same league as the celebrities we avidly watch. However, that engagement ring is not totally beyond reach. Read on for some handy hints to have a celebrity style engagement ring without the accompanying bill.

* Custom Designed. Possibly one of the smartest ways to achieve the engagement ring of your dreams is to consult a custom jeweler. Take the photos with you and explain what it is about the engagement ring you particularly love. A custom designed engagement ring will not have the same price tag as a jewelry house that is famous for providing jewelry to stars and heiresses. Realistically, that jeweler’s stamp on the inside of the ring can play a large part in the final costing.

Custom jewelers will be able to guide you through the process of tailoring the engagement ring to your own budget. Several of the options that they will raise with you will be the following:

* Lesser Diamonds. Most celebrity engagement rings have over the top sized diamonds of exceptional quality. Many of the diamonds on display are almost too large to be practical for daily activities. A smaller collection of diamonds will bring down the price tag dramatically. If you aspire to the larger sized diamonds, you may have to select diamonds of lower color or clarity. Subtle changes in these areas can also effect the final cost significantly.

* Less Expensive Metals. Many celebrity engagement rings are made from platinum. If you love that look why not try for rhodium plated white gold? Don’t forget however that the white gold will need to be regularly re-plated to maintain that luxy look. Palladium engagement rings can be an excellent alternative as they have a very similar appearance to platinum, do not require plating, are hypoallergenic, and best of all, are much less costly than platinum.

* Other Stones. If you have your eye on Mariah’s pink diamonds, or Heidi’s yellow diamond, you may be able to obtain a very similar appearance by substituting that expensive colored diamond for a precious gem of very similar tinting. Sapphires come in both beautiful shades of pink and yellow, while other stones such as topaz and citrine are available in various yellows.