A Look Back at Vanessa Bryant’s ‘Apology’ Ring

Getty Images

If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, perhaps Vanessa Bryant will find solace in hers as she works through her divorce from husband Kobe Bryant. The mom of two filed for divorce in Los Angeles on Friday — though the fate of her $ 4 million diamond sparkler, a gift from her soon-to-be ex, is to be determined.

Kobe purchased the ring for Vanessa in July of 2003, three days after prosecutors declared he’d be charged with the rape of a 19-year-old employee at a Colorado resort where he’d stayed. Dubbed the “apology ring” — though PEOPLE reported that the basketball star had commissioned the bauble two weeks before charges were announced — it’s an 8-carat purple diamond set in a glimmering band.

The week before presenting his wife with the diamond, Kobe faced reporters during a press conference at the Staples Center in L.A. and admitted to cheating on his wife. “You’re my backbone,” he told Vanessa apologetically as she looked on solemnly. “You’re a blessing. You’re a piece of my heart. You’re the air I breathe. And you’re the strongest person I know, and I’m so sorry for having to put you through this and having to put our family through this.”

SEE THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST STAR BLING