Red carpet stunner turns into engagement reveal
Forget the blue aliens and the CGI fire—Miley Cyrus just hijacked the entire Avatar: Fire and Ash premiere with a single, calculated hand placement. On Monday night in Los Angeles, the 33-year-old pop icon hit the Dolby Theatre looking like a total bombshell in a strapless Gucci gown, but nobody was looking at the dress. All eyes were glued to the massive slab of ice sitting on that finger.
In a move that screams "PR genius," Cyrus walked the carpet with her longtime beau, drummer Maxx Morando, and made absolutely sure the paparazzi got the money shot. She affectionately—and very conspicuously—placed her left hand flat on Morando’s chest, flashing a chunky, blinding gold sparkler that practically demanded its own zip code. It wasn't subtle. It wasn't accidental. It was a declaration of war on single life.
Sources wasted no time spilling the tea. By Tuesday morning, insiders confirmed what the photos already screamed: Miley Cyrus and Maxx Morando are engaged. After years of ups and downs, chaotic flings, and a very public divorce history, the "Wrecking Ball" singer has officially been tamed by the 27-year-old musician. But while the romance is sweet, the real drama is all about the hardware. This isn't your grandmother's engagement ring.
"She wanted everyone to see it," a source whispered to reporters. "Miley doesn't do anything by accident. That hand placement was a press release in itself."
The half-million dollar question: What is that rock?
Let's talk about the ring, because this piece of jewelry is already sparking furious debate among gemologists and fashion critics. This is not a traditional Tiffany setting. It is a bespoke, avant-garde statement piece designed by celebrity jeweler Jacquie Aiche. Reps for Aiche have confirmed the design is a "bespoke" creation featuring a cushion-cut stone set on a thick, 14-karat yellow gold band. But here is where it gets sticky—the price tag is wildly up for debate.
We are talking about a massive stone here. Experts are pegging this rock at anywhere between 4 to 5 carats. But depending on who you ask, the value swings by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Daniela Tarantino, a VP at Blue Nile, claims this "East-West" bezel set ring is a modern masterpiece that could easily set Morando back a cool $450,000.
"We believe the ring is roughly a 4-5 carat modified cushion that costs around $300,000 to $450,000," Tarantino stated. That is nearly half a million dollars sitting on her finger. It is a serious investment for Morando, who is best known for drumming in the band Liily. Did he drop a fortune, or is Miley footing the bill for her own bling? The internet is already asking questions.
The controversy: Mined vs. Lab-Grown
However, not everyone is convinced that Morando dropped half a mill. In a scandalous twist that has jewelry snobs turning up their noses, other experts are suggesting the ring might be valued significantly lower if the diamond isn't "natural." Reyne Hirsch, a former Antiques Roadshow appraiser, is low-balling the estimate, suggesting the retail value sits somewhere between $150,000 and $250,000.
And then comes the "lab-grown" theory. Kristy Cullinane of Plum Diamonds threw a wrench in the works by suggesting that if this stone was created in a lab rather than dug out of the earth, the value plummets. We are talking about a drop from luxury car prices to used sedan prices.
"The estimated value of the ring would be $200,000+ for a mined diamond or $15,000 for a lab-grown diamond," Cullinane pointed out. That is a staggering difference. If Miley is rocking a $15,000 lab-grown stone, it would be the ultimate hipster move—eco-conscious, modern, and a total rejection of old Hollywood excess. But for a star worth millions, would she really settle for a rock that costs less than her Gucci dress?
If Miley got a lab-grown diamond she is officially the queen of sustainable queens. Who cares about the price tag when it looks like a headlight?
Secretly engaged for weeks?
The timeline of this engagement is already looking suspicious. While the world is just finding out now, the gossip hounds at DeuxMoi were sniffing around this story weeks ago. According to the blind item gossip site, Cyrus was spotted wearing this exact ring around mid-November. This means the couple has likely been sitting on this news, keeping it secret from fans and the media for nearly a month.
Why the secrecy? Was there trouble in paradise, or were they just waiting for the biggest red carpet of the season to drop the bomb? Miley is a master of controlling the narrative. By debuting the ring at the Avatar premiere, she ensured that photos of her and Maxx would be splashed across every major publication on the planet. It is a power move that overshadows the actual movie she was there to support.
This couple has always operated in the shadows. They were first linked way back in December 2021, getting cozy backstage at Miley's New Year's Eve Party in Miami. They kept it low-key for months before finally getting caught making out in West Hollywood in April 2022. They have been playing the long game, and it looks like it finally paid off.
The 'Boy Toy' who stuck around
Let's be honest—when Miley first started dating Maxx Morando, many critics wrote him off as a rebound or a "boy toy." There is a six-year age gap between the two, with Miley being the older, more experienced superstar and Maxx being the younger, edgier musician. But Morando has proven the haters wrong. He hasn't just stuck around; he has moved in and put a ring on it.
Sources say the two have been living together since early 2024, taking a "big step" that obviously led to this proposal. "Everyone loves Maxx," an insider gushed earlier this year. "He’s a great guy. He’s private and doesn’t like being in the press. It’s been good for her."
That privacy seems to be the key. After the absolute media circus that was her marriage to Liam Hemsworth, and the wild rebound flings that followed, Miley seems to have found solace in a guy who doesn't crave the spotlight. But don't let the "private" label fool you—Morando is still a rockstar, and their dynamic is anything but boring.
Gen Z vs. Millennial: The awkward dynamic
Despite the engagement joy, Miley hasn't been shy about roasting her new fiancé over their generational divide. In a bizarre interview with Harper's Bazaar just last month, Cyrus joked about how different their upbringings were. While six years doesn't seem like much, in tech years, it is a lifetime.
"He grew up with a laptop. I had a desktop computer that I shared with my brothers and sisters," Cyrus claimed, painting herself as some sort of ancient relic compared to her digital-native lover. But the weirdest part? She admitted that Morando raises their pets using advice from strangers on the internet.
"Honestly, he’s raised our dog off Reddit," she revealed. "I'm like, 'Are you sure we’re supposed to be doing this?' And he’s like, 'On Reddit it says blah, blah, blah.' "
Is this the future of their parenting? If they decide to have kids, is Maxx going to be scrolling through subreddits for advice while Miley panics? It is a hilarious, if slightly concerning, look into their domestic life. It paints a picture of Miley as the skeptical veteran and Maxx as the overly confident zoomer.
Miley saying her fiancé raises their dog via Reddit is the most unhinged thing I've heard all week. Good luck to that dog.
Is a rock 'n' roll wedding coming?
Now that the ring is out in the open, the speculation turns to the wedding. Will this be a quiet, private affair like their relationship, or will Miley return to her roots and throw the wildest party of the century? Given the "bespoke" and unconventional nature of the ring, insiders are betting on a non-traditional ceremony.
Don't expect a white church wedding. We are predicting leather, gold, perhaps a performance by the groom's band, and a guest list that mixes Hollywood royalty with indie musicians. But with Miley, you truly never know. She could elope in Vegas tomorrow, or she could drag this out for a two-year engagement.
One thing is certain: Maxx Morando has done what many thought was impossible. He locked down the wildest heart in Hollywood. But with the pressure of a high-profile engagement now weighing on them, and the world scrutinizing every detail of that ring, the real test begins now.
Will they make it down the aisle, or will the "Reddit parenting" differences drive them apart? And seriously, we need to know—is that diamond real or lab-grown? The silence on the specific valuation is deafening.
