If a man can't commit to making his bed in the morning, he probably can't commit to marriage. And yet, the third episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 opens with a proposal and an engagement ring reveal set in a messy dorm room.
Belly, 20 years old and madly in love with Jeremiah, ignores the red flags in the room around them—a nightstand stacked with dirty dishes, the aforementioned unmade bed—and conveniently forgets Jeremiah's own admission that he'd cheated on her during a trip to Cabo. (And, his hasty, kneel-free, verbal only proposal in the previous episode.) She says yes without hesitation and immediately slides on Catbird's $298 Diamond Fizz ring.
In the world of The Summer I Turned Pretty, drama is around the corner when Conrad, Jeremiah's brother and Belly's ex-boyfriend, finds out about their engagement. Online, the audience tuning in to Wednesday's new episode was hung up on that 0.089-carat recycled white diamond and its understated debut.
All About Belly's Engagement Ring
There's no denying Belly's engagement ring is a practical choice for two barely-twentysomethings on a college meal plan. (Then again, Jeremiah's family is wealthy enough to own one of Cousin Beach's most in-demand waterfront properties...)
The ring itself is a sweetly pretty, 14k recycled gold band set with a diminutive round diamond. Its stone is slightly raised in its setting for easy stacking with other bands. It retails for just under $300, and a smaller size is only $168. (It can also be financed into four payments with the buy now, pay later service Klarna.)
Catbird chief creative officer Leigh Batnick Plessner told ELLE the style was a perfect fit for this moment in Belly's journey. "I think it suits young love because it’s so wearable and it can grow with you over time, and it can always suit whatever evolution of your personal style you might be in," she said.
Why Is the Internet Divided Over Belly's Engagement Ring?
A marquise diamond like Selena Gomez's or a Jessica McCormack engagement ring with Zendaya credentials just wouldn't be realistic on The Summer I Turned Pretty's TV adaptation. I repeat: Belly and Jeremiah are only college students. Their frontal lobes are hardly developed and neither are their financial plans. Still, viewers have had a lot to say about the discreet size of Belly's diamond.
Thousands of posts on Threads and X have turned the ring into a meme-able moment, contrasting Belly holding up her left hand with photos of magnifying glasses and squinting celebrities. Searches for "Belly's engagement" ring are also spiking on Google Trends at the time of publishing.
"The size of Jeremiah's engagement ring for Belly is almost comical (in a bad way)," summarized journalist Max Gao.
There was also criticism in the world of the show, courtesy of Belly's best friend, Taylor. "Is that a ring, or a piece of tin foil?" she quips.
this was so embarrassing 😭😭😭 like i physically can’t breathe jeremiah the loser u are!!! #TheSummerITurnedPretty pic.twitter.com/u0NMoccXrWJuly 23, 2025
For Marie Claire editors who also tune into The Summer I Turned Pretty each week, Belly's engagement ring missed the mark for narrative reasons. "I didn’t feel like this one met her moment," says fashion commerce editor Julia Marzovilla. "Between the size and the slapdash, kneel-less proposal (not to mention the family-wide fallout), I was left feeling sad for Belly. She deserves the romance novel-type engagement story that The Summer I Turned Pretty promises—not one that leaves her and her new fiancé isolated from the families they both care so much about."
Meguire Hennes, Marie Claire's fashion staff writer, also wanted more for Belly: emotionally and in carat weight. "I've loved Belly through every book, every episode, and every questionable decision. So, having to squint to see her engagement ring—her engagement ring, people—made my Belly-loving heart sad," she says.
There's still time in the series for Belly to back away from a wedding aisle. Readers of Jenny Han's original series know this engagement is hardly a sign of a happily ever after; viewers know the season still has several episodes and plot twists left.
So, the engagement ring debate doesn't need to get too heated yet. Ring size doesn't matter when you're with the right person—and this is an objectively cute stacking ring. Regardless, it's 2025. If you really want a diamond-topped band you don't need a man who can't make his bed to buy it for you.
