A woman is opening up about the viral moment she declined an engagement ring from her boyfriend — and says it wasn’t about rejecting the proposal itself.
Earlier this year, influencer Beatrice Balaj posted a TikTok showing her engagement ring and revealed that it was actually the second ring her fiancé had bought. In the caption, she explained that he had first proposed with a 10-carat yellow diamond, but she turned that ring down because it felt “tacky.” The clip has since racked up more than 1.7 million likes.
In the video, Balaj, 35, holds out her hand to show a pear-cut white diamond set on a gold band. The post sparked immediate debate online, with viewers weighing in on everything from diamond size to style taste — and wondering how she handled telling her fiancé she wanted something different.
Balaj says the reality was far less dramatic than some commenters assumed. She and her fiancé had talked about ring preferences before the engagement, and during those conversations she mentioned leaning toward a white diamond rather than a yellow one.
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The original ring was a yellow diamond. She said she first fell for the look while styling a cover shoot for Grazia Magazine and pulling statement diamonds for the job. Her fiancé later contacted the jeweler on his own. Even so, she felt conflicted between a yellow and a white stone.
“What many people on TikTok thought I did was turn down the proposal, but I didn’t,” she explained. “I turned down the ring.”
She says the deciding factor wasn’t just the color — it was the size. The yellow diamond was 10 carats, and she didn’t feel comfortable wearing something that large.
“I loved it, but we both agreed that a smaller diamond was more me,” she said, describing her style as “dainty.” She prefers yellow gold and simple, classic pieces, adding that she’s drawn to jewelry that feels effortless rather than flashy.
When it came time to choose a replacement, Balaj let her fiancé take the lead but shared a few preferences: a pear-cut white diamond, a gold band, and platinum prongs.
“It was a complete surprise. He nailed it,” she said. “I absolutely love it. It’s exactly what I wanted. I’m happy I didn’t end up keeping the 10-carat yellow diamond.”
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Balaj also shared details of the proposal itself, saying she had no idea it was coming because her fiancé created an elaborate decoy plan. He gave her a month’s notice about what he claimed was a friend’s formal 40th birthday dinner, even making a fake invitation complete with a working RSVP number.
In the days leading up to the “dinner,” he kept encouraging her to dress up. On the day of the proposal, she says she panicked because her makeup wasn’t going well — but he stayed unusually calm and told her to take her time. That was her first hint something might be up.
They eventually left the house, and on the way to the supposed party, he pulled over at a cliffside in Palos Verdes and began a heartfelt speech. She asked if he was about to propose and started crying when she realized what was happening.
After he proposed, she joked about being late. That’s when he laughed and told her the dinner party was invented so she wouldn’t suspect a thing.
Balaj says her fiancé arrived in her life during a difficult period. She had recently lost a younger cousin to suicide and was devastated, yet still had to work a movie premiere the next day. She credits her fiancé with helping her through it — including making a playlist of “happy songs” to support her while she pushed through her job.
“You truly don’t know what people go through behind the scenes,” she said.
As for the wedding, Balaj says the couple is hoping to marry in 2026. Once they finalize a planner, she believes everything else will fall into place.
