Do You Remember Mariah Carey's Ring Pop Ring?

The piece of jewelry I will never forget

If you had asked me, circa 2012, what I associated with Mariah Carey, you probably would have gotten this list:

1. All I Want For Christmas Is You, a perfect song I will always defend

2. Always Be My Baby, also a perfect song

3. An interview she did with Oprah about how much she loved Nick Cannon and how he gave her a Ring Pop ring

Unfortunately I cannot find the clip of this, so I’ll describe it best I can from memory. My mom and grandma didn’t really watch The Oprah Winfrey Show, so I’m not quite sure why we watched this interview. But during it, Mariah could not stop talking about how in love she was with her husband of two years, Nick Cannon.

What really burnt itself into my brain was Mariah’s description of how Nick proposed to her. She recounted this moment in her new memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, and it was beautiful to have my own recollection confirmed. The couple were on a rooftop, and he handed her a Ring Pop wrapper — one of the best candies, IMO, and definitely the best lollipop. When she she opened it, instead of a lollipop, inside she found her massive diamond engagement ring:

Despite the corny (but cute) way Nick proposed, this is not the ring that captivated my imagination. No, instead, it’s the one Nick gave her on their second wedding anniversary, the true Ring Pop ring:

Wow. Look at that image again. Study it.

It’s so ugly. According to People, the ring is made of white diamonds, pink sapphires, and white gold. It had to be so expensive. The engraving on the bottom is atrocious — it’s so big and a terrible font — and I can’t help but wonder why Nick decided his name should come first! The ring is probably extraordinarily heavy, and if Mariah ever did wear it, it must have gotten stuck on everything.

But for all its obscenity, the ring is also beautiful. Imagine the way this must have sparkled! It’s so fun and goofy and perfectly Mariah.

I have a very sharp memory of being at Girl Scouts in the early 2000s and one of the other girls’ moms giving us all Ring Pops. She said, “Girls, when he proposes, if it’s not as big as a Ring Pop, say no!”

We all laughed but … what a strange joke to make with children! That moment, and all its inherent assumptions, stuck with me: the assumption that my goal in life should and would be to marry a rich man, who showed his love via an absurd object of wealth. At the same time, pretending to be a fancy, rich lady is the basis of the appeal of Ring Pops. Its very existence is tacky and corny and fun. Ring Pops are camp, which is why, as an adult who can only fit one on my pinkie finger, I still like them.

When Mariah showed off her actual diamond and sapphire Ring Pop on Oprah, I thought of those words I’d heard as a kid. Nick had gotten Mariah the huge ring. It was ostentatious, but it was a symbol of his devotion. What other way was there to describe a blockbuster romance like theirs?

At the time, I thought Nick and Mariah were the perfect couple. Mariah deserved to be adored, and Nick would adore her forever. But they separated in 2012. Mariah didn’t even talk about their relationship in her memoir until one of the very last chapters, and she didn’t have much to say about Nick. The exes remain friendly and seem to do a good job coparenting their twins. I’m happy they’re happy, but it still makes me sad that this romance I’d thought so much of was about as deep as a sugary sweet attached to a plastic ring.

One question remains: Where is the ring?! Does Nick have it, or did Mariah lock it in a box somewhere? Does their daughter, Monroe, play with it? Mariah, if you’re reading this and not using it, can I borrow it for a week or two? I’m sure it won’t fit my fingers, but I could wear it on a necklace, like the replicas you once sold on HSN.

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