Culture & Style
Priscilla Presley’s Natural Diamond Wedding Jewelry on the Big Screen
By Hannah Militano, Updated: September 29, 2025
The first lady of Rock ‘n’ Roll was decked out in diamonds on her wedding day.
Elvis and Priscilla Presley admire her diamond engagement ring on their wedding day in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967. (Getty Images)
Before there was Bennifer, Brangelina, or Kimye, another Hollywood love story had the world transfixed. Few romances have been as famous—or as complicated—as Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s. In the late 1960s and early ’70s, their relationship defined celebrity fascination, capturing headlines and imaginations everywhere.
The story began in 1959, when Elvis, then 24 and serving in the U.S. Army in West Germany, met 14-year-old Priscilla Ann Beaulieu at a party. Despite the eyebrow-raising age gap, the two struck up a connection that would spark years of intrigue. After Elvis returned to America, they stayed in touch, and when Priscilla turned 18 in 1963, her parents reluctantly allowed her to move into Graceland, the King’s iconic Memphis estate.
Meet the Author
- Hannah Militano covers diamond jewelry trends, the fashion industry, pop culture, and celebrity news.
- She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
- As a journalist, her work has been featured in publications such as Editorialist, Carine Roitfeld’s CR Fashion Book, L’Officiel USA, Grazia USA, Coveteur, and more.
Elvis and Priscilla Presley tied the knot at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas in 1967, in a wedding that remains etched in pop-culture history. Priscilla’s bridal look became instantly iconic, and in recent years, Hollywood has revisited the couple’s story with new perspectives. Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 film Elvis and Sofia Coppola’s 2023 Priscilla reimagined their wedding ensembles, with costume designers Catherine Martin and Stacey Battat carefully recreating details like Priscilla’s sparkling diamond engagement ring and the couple’s matching horseshoe-shaped bands.
Behind the glamour, though, their relationship was far more complicated. Priscilla has said that Elvis, unfazed by their age gap, felt he could mold her into his ideal woman. Early on, she followed his lead—but as she grew older, stronger, and more self-assured, she sought more control over her life. The couple welcomed their daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, in 1968, but by 1973, their marriage ended in divorce.
Even so, Priscilla has always spoken of Elvis with respect. When the rock legend died unexpectedly in 1977, she honored their years together by writing her 1985 memoir Elvis and Me, which later inspired Coppola’s acclaimed film. Now, she is set to release a new memoir, Softly, as I Leave You: Life After Elvis, chronicling her journey beyond life with the King.
Here, explore the story behind Priscilla Presley’s unique engagement ring, the couple’s matching horseshoe diamonds, and how Hollywood has meticulously brought their legendary wedding back to life on screen.
Priscilla Presley’s One-of-a-Kind Diamond Engagement Ring
Just before Christmas Eve in 1966, Elvis reportedly proposed to Priscilla with a dazzling 3.5-carat diamond engagement ring, accented by 20 detachable baguette diamonds. The royal couple of Rock ’n’ Roll would go on to wed in Las Vegas the following May, in a ceremony that cemented their place in pop-culture history.
“I opened the box to find the most beautiful diamond ring I’d ever seen. It was three and a half [carats], encircled by a row of smaller diamonds, which were detachable – I could wear them separately,” Priscilla Presley wrote in her 1985 memoir, Elvis and Me. “He slipped the ring on my finger. I was too overwhelmed to speak; it was the most beautiful and romantic moment of my life.”
Priscilla’s engagement ring remains shrouded in mystery, its full beauty glimpsed only through a handful of grainy black-and-white wedding photographs. Over the decades, the elusive jewel has sparked endless fascination. In 2014, during a Facebook Q&A, one fan asked, “Do you still have your wedding ring? Would be lovely to see the design.” Priscilla’s teasing reply, “Yes I do. Maybe one day,” only deepened the intrigue.
I opened the box to find the most beautiful diamond ring I’d ever seen.
According to Vogue, Elvis purchased the ring from Memphis-based jeweler Harry Levitch. After Elvis died in 1977, his former personal secretary, Becky Yancey, published her tell-all book, My Life with Elvis, detailing “the fond memories of a fan who became Elvis’ private secretary.” She claims that during her tenure, she wrote a check for Elvis to purchase Priscilla’s engagement ring from Levitch for “nearly four thousand dollars.”
The Presleys’ Matching Diamond Horseshoe Wedding Rings
Although Priscilla’s diamond engagement ring has remained largely out of sight over the years, she slipped on another jewel that became instantly recognizable: the diamond-encrusted horseshoe rings Elvis purchased for both himself and his bride to wear on their wedding day.
Her wedding-day style became a defining image of 1960s glamour. With her jet-black hair teased into a towering bouffant beneath a bejeweled crown and flowing veil, dramatic mod-inspired eye makeup, and a white organza gown with sheer lace sleeves, she embodied bridal elegance at its peak.
That unforgettable look was recently reimagined on the big screen in Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 Elvis, where Austin Butler and Olivia DeJonge underwent striking transformations to bring “The King” and his queen’s legendary wedding to life.
Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 Elvis: Recreating the Presleys’ Iconic Jewelry
Academy Award–winning costume designer Catherine Martin brought Elvis and Priscilla’s instantly recognizable looks back to life with painstaking attention to detail. Known for her ability to fuse accuracy with cinematic drama, Martin recreated the couple’s wedding-day style with remarkable fidelity. She incorporated not only their matching diamond horseshoe rings but also commissioned a striking replica of Priscilla’s engagement ring—complete with its distinctive crescent of detachable baguette diamonds encircling the bold 3.5-carat center stone.
Sofia Coppola’s 2023 Priscilla: The Diamond Details That Defined an Era
Sofia Coppola’s biopic Priscilla offered a fresh perspective on the Presleys’ relationship, reframing the story through Priscilla’s eyes. Based on her candid 1985 memoir Elvis and Me, the film cast Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi as the famous couple.
Costume designer Stacey Battat approached the wardrobe with meticulous care, drawing on historical references to ensure each look captured the era with authenticity.
The film’s poster featured Spaeny as Priscilla on her wedding day, holding her new husband’s face. Her look included a ballet-slipper pink manicure and a striking engagement ring: a fancy yellow diamond haloed by white diamonds and set on a pavé split-shank band.
During a press conference for Priscilla’s premiere at the New York Film Festival, Elordi revealed that the production incorporated jewelry directly from the Elvis estate. “I would clasp the ID bracelet or put the horseshoe ring on, and they provided the final touches,” the Euphoria actor said,
