Saturday, 10 May 2008

Nick & Mariah's wedding bling: A closer look

The newlyweds show off their wedding rings

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon reported to have married in the Caribbean

When Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey made their first public appearance as newlyweds on Thursday, the pair simply dazzled – almost as much as their wedding jewelry.

Carey, who attended TIME magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World" gala with her new husband, showed off her impressive pink diamond sparkler from of Jacob & Co. jewelers. The ring, valued at a whopping $2.5 million, is 17 carats. The center stone alone is 10-carats – a little smaller than a dime.

"I wanted to do something extremely special, something that Mariah would really appreciate," Cannon told PEOPLE. "We got the pinkest stone we could find, surrounded by other diamonds."

Carey definitely approved. "It's so clear, you can see my finger through it," she said.

According to Jacob Arabo of Jacob & Co., Cannon "was very involved," in picking the ring, which has an emerald-cut fancy light pink center stone surrounded by 58 intense pink diamonds, flanked by two half-moon diamonds.

"The way he came into the store, I knew this was very serious," Arabo told PEOPLE. "He said, 'Jacob, I’m in love. This is what I want to do.'"

Meanwhile, Cannon's ring would make Liberace proud. The elaborate, chunky diamond band made its debut Thursday as he was leaving his New York City hotel.

But while a diamond may be forever, the couple's new tattoos – his says "Mariah" across his shoulders, and hers reads "Mrs. Cannon" on the small of her back – will last a lifetime. "Rings and all that is special and exciting," said Cannon. "But to us, tattoos mean more than anything because it's something we never thought we'd do."

Plus, they're a lot harder to lose.

By Danielle Dubin