Friday, April 13, 2012

T + 1: The Day After









April 14, 2012 11:48 AM
    (CBS News)

    Marisa Guthrie, senior writer for The Hollywood Reporter, who broke the story, said her style editors in Los Angeles got a tip that Jolie was wearing a noticeable diamond on her ring finger while at a benefit Wednesday night at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

    Guthrie said, "We knew that she had worked with a jeweler before on a collection. And he confirmed it. And then Brad's manager confirmed it. So, there we are."

    Pitt worked on the tablet-cut ring with jeweler Robert Procop for more than a year, Guthrie said.
    Pitt gave a hint about engagement plans to Lee Cowan in January when he sat down for an interview on "CBS Sunday Morning." Pitt said, "We're getting a lot of pressure from the kids. It means something to them. ... They have questions when their friends' parents are married and (ask) 'Why is that?'"

    When asked what Pitt tells his kids, the celebrity replied, "'We will someday. We will. That's a great idea.' (My kids say,) 'Get Mommy a ring,' (I say), 'OK, I will. I will'"




    "Sunday Morning": Brad Pitt on "Moneyball," kids and marriage
    Play CBS News Video



     
    Jolie-Pitt engagement certain to fuel media frenzy - (AP) via


    Jolie-Pitt engagement certain to fuel media frenzy




    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Will and Kate were just the warm-up for the true wedding of the century.

    After years of cohabitation, six kids and countless tabloid headlines, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie made it official: They plan to make it official.

    If you thought the media circus involving the world's most glamorous couple was on overdrive before, just wait. Now that Brangelina are officially engaged, expect endless speculation about where and when they'll wed, what they'll wear, what their kids' roles will be, and who might get to attend the celebration.

    "This is really a state wedding," said Stephen Galloway, executive editor of features at The Hollywood Reporter. "This is America's equivalent to Prince William and Kate Middleton."
    He called the Brangelina wedding "the media event of the new century."

    Pitt's manager confirmed the couple's engagement Friday after Jolie was spotted wearing a diamond ring on her wedding finger. Jeweler Robert Procop said he spent a year working with Pitt to design the ring.

    "The prominent engagement ring is giving the world a warning," Galloway said. "It says look out, get ready."

    But Bradley Jacobs, a senior editor at Us Weekly, sees things differently. He anticipates the wedding will be a private, even low-key affair.

    "I don't think you're going to see a bunch of fanfare," he said. "It's certainly not going to be a Kim Kardashian-style wedding... It's going to be very subdued."

    Still, expect massive media coverage either way: "We will not rest until we know when and where and how and who's going to be there," Jacobs said.

    Entire magazine issues could be devoted to each star's wedding-day outfits and hairdos. "Every single designer on the planet will be pursuing Angelina for the dress," Galloway said. "It's literally worth millions of dollars in business."

    Jolie's wedding dress is a career-making outfit for the winning designer.

    Even Pitt's look leaves room for ample speculation: Long hair or short? Facial scruff or clean shaven? A classic tuxedo? And designed by whom?

    Then there's the guest list. Who will be the best man and maid of honor? Will Jolie's father, Jon Voight, attend? Will George Clooney be in the house? Jolie has said she doesn't have many close friends.

    "This is going to be a map of the inner state of their private life," Galloway said. "This is like Kremlinology. You'll be able to read all sorts of things into this wedding."

    Unless, of course, the two elope.
    The timing of the engagement and the wedding are also fodder for editorial exploration. The couple long maintained that they wouldn't marry until the right to do so was extended to all Americans, but when Galloway interviewed Pitt for a February cover story, the 48-year-old actor said he didn't think they'd be able to hold out that long.

    "It means so much to my kids, and they ask about it," Pitt said at the time. "And it means something to me, too, to make that kind of commitment."
    But days later, he backtracked, saying he'd spoken too soon.

    "There's a certain mystery in these contradictory statements made in the weeks leading up to this (engagement news)," Galloway said. "People who've been together a long time get married when things are great or when you want to shore up things that are not so great."

    The A-listers have been partners since they began a relationship in 2005 while working on the film "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."

    Already megawatt superstars in their own right, the romantic pairing of Pitt and Jolie instantly made them Hollywood's most glamorous and photographed couple. The fact that Pitt was still married to Jennifer Anniston when he met Jolie only fueled the tabloid fire; Pitt and Aniston divorced in 2005 after five years of marriage.

    Jolie was previously married to Billy Bob Thornton and British actor Jonny Lee Miller.

    Regardless of the size of the celebration or where it takes place, the Jolie-Pitt wedding has major economic implications. Journalists from all over the world will swarm to the wedding location; the designers of each nuptial element will see their businesses boom; the rights to the photos and footage will be haggled over by publishers and broadcasters with deep pockets.

    Galloway predicts the bidding has already begun.

    "A mini-industry in itself will be created as a result," he said. "The money generated by the wedding in direct fees to them and indirect income to other people will be more than the equivalent of everything the two of them have earned in their career. You're talking about two empires meeting."

    Some of that revenue will, of course, be in magazine sales.

    After the rash of celebrity divorces last year, Brangelina fans "will be happy to see them affirm their relationship and what they mean to each other," Jacobs said.

    And they might be just as eager to read accounts of why the wedding is not to be. Galloway speculates that "between now and whenever the wedding takes place, there will be at least a dozen stories that say it's off; Brangelina call it quits."

    AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen is on Twitter: www.twitter.com/APSandy .



    It's Official: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Are Engaged

    Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

    They'll soon go from Mr. and Mrs. Smith to Mr. and Mrs. Pitt -- that's right, celebrity supercouple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are finally making it official. A rep for the pair confirmed their news today to THR, calling it "a promise for the future." Really, isn't the long-awaited Brangelina engagement a promise for us all?

    Hmm... could this be why Jolie made such concerted efforts to hide her ring finger on the red carpet last month in New York? Observe:








    What's that? You don't care? FINE. Let the rest of us live vicariously through Brad 'n' Angie while simultaneously coveting their happiness on this glorious day. Isn't that what engagement announcements are for? (Or is this all an elaborate PR stunt to promote that Jason Segel-Emily Blunt movie about people who can't get their act together?)
    Whatever. Congrats to the happy, gorgeous, charitable, and rich & famous couple and TGIF.

    [THR]



    Angelina Jolie’s Engagement Ring Already Has Its Own Representation




    From AP.
    Proving they don’t believe that Friday the 13th brings bad luck, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt chose today to announce that they are engaged to be married. The pair, who reportedly became romantically involved sometime soon after co-starring in 2005’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith, share six children, similar hair highlights, and meme-inspiring red-carpet duties. Just like in any classic romance novel, the engagement was reportedly prompted when the couple’s children told Pitt to “get mommy a ring.” And that he did—but not just any ring; a ring that demanded a year’s worth of design, and a ring that appears to already have its own Los Angeles–based representation.
    Shortly after Pitt’s manager, Cynthia Pett-Dante, confirmed the engagement news, Beverly Hills jeweler Robert Procop confirmed to USA Today that he collaborated with the Oscar–nominated actor on the aforementioned article of jewelry in pro-level press-release terms: “Brad had a specific vision for this ring, which he realized over a yearlong collaboration with Robert. He wanted every aspect of it to be perfect, so Robert was able to locate a diamond of the finest quality and cut it to an exact custom size and shape to suit Angelina’s hand. . . . Brad was always heavily involved, overseeing every aspect of the creative design evolution. The side diamonds are specially cut to encircle her finger. Each diamond is of the highest gem quality.” It bares noting that the ring-related press release is longer than the actual engagement press statement.
    For now, your blogger assumes that you should forward all of Angelina Jolie’s engagement-ring interview inquiries, appearance requests, and well wishes to the Los Angeles–based jeweler.


    It's official: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie engaged

    By Michael Martinez, CNN
    updated 6:18 PM EDT, Fri April 13, 2012
    Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are shown here at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival on February 11.
    Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are shown here at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival on February 11.

    STORY HIGHLIGHTS
    • NEW: Pitt spent a year designing the diamond engagement ring, a jeweler says
    • No comment on how they once pledged no marriage until all couples could marry
    • Angelina Jolie, 36, and Brad Pitt, 48, have been a couple since 2005
    • The couple has six children; no wedding date has been set
    Los Angeles (CNN) -- Angelina Jolie, 36, and Brad Pitt, 48, a Hollywood megastar couple since 2005, are engaged, Pitt's representative said Friday.
    "Yes, it's confirmed. It is a promise for the future, and their kids are very happy. There's no date set at this time. Brad designed the ring," the representative, Cynthia Pett-Dante, told CNN.
    The longtime couple had been insisting that they wouldn't marry unless the nation's laws allowed all couples to marry.
    Asked about this position after the engagement announcement, Pitt's representative didn't have an immediate comment.
    Jewelry designer Robert Procop of Beverly Hills, California, designed the diamond engagement ring after a yearlong collaboration with Pitt, his representative said.
    Pitt "wanted every aspect of it to be perfect, so Robert was able to locate a diamond of the finest quality and cut it to an exact custom size and shape to suite Angelina's hand," the representative said. "Brad was always heavily involved, overseeing every aspect of the creative design evolution. The side diamonds are specially cut to encircle her finger."
    The couple has six children, including three biological children together. Pitt adopted two of Jolie's children whom she had earlier adopted from Cambodia and Ethiopia, and they together adopted a boy from Vietnam. Their biological children include twins.
    Jolie, the daughter of actor Jon Voight and actress Marcheline Bertrand, won an Oscar for her role as a mental patient in the 1999 film "Girl, Interrupted."
    Pitt, who grew up in Springfield, Missouri, was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe for his role in the 1995 science fiction film "Twelve Monkeys."
    Jolie was previously married to actor Jonny Lee Miller and actor Billy Bob Thornton.
    Pitt earlier had been married to actress Jennifer Aniston.
    The couple has used their international celebrity to draw attention to a number of humanitarian causes.
    Despite ongoing reports that Jolie and Pitt began their love affair during the making of 2005's "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" -- while Pitt was still married to Aniston -- Jolie insisted to the UK's Stylist magazine in 2010 that their relationship began after the film.
    "We became friends on the film set," Jolie said, "but (the relationship) began after."

     
    6 kids, 7 years, and a gazillion tabloid covers later, Angie and Brad engaged! Congrats guys

     Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt
    Jason Merritt/Getty Images


    We have waited for centuries for this—tides have turned, and evolution has taken its full course. The day is finally here.
    Are Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie Moving Towards Marriage? [AUDIO]
    Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are officially engaged! Angelina was seen wearing the glorious engagement ring two nights ago at a private viewing of the LA County Museum of Art with Brad and their son Pax.
    “Yes, it’s confirmed,” said Brad’s manager Cynthia Pett-Dante. “It is a promise for the future and their kids are very happy. There’s no date set at this time. Brad designed the ring.”
    angelina-jolie-brad-pitt-engaged
    2012 Museum Associates/LACMA by Howard Pasamanick
    Robert Procop, a Beverly Hills jeweler and former CEO of Asprey & Garrard (a British jewelry company serving to English royalty), was the first to confirm the rumor to be true. He collaborated with Brad to design the ring.
    Brad Pitt’s Parents Support His Relationship With Angelina Jolie [AUDIO]
    “Brad had a specific vision for this ring, which he realized over a yearlong collaboration. He wanted every aspect of it to be perfect, so I was able to locate a diamond of the finest quality and cut it to an exact custom size and shape to suite Angelina’s hand. Brad was always heavily involved, overseeing every aspect of the creative design evolution. The side diamonds are specially cut to encircle her finger. Each diamond is of the highest gem quality.”
    Congratulations, you two!





     
    OMFG, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Are Engaged.

    OMFG, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Are Engaged.

     By Dodai Stewart

    He finally "put a ring on it," as they say. A big ring, as far as we can tell. Jeweler Robert Procop, who designed the bauble, confirms that it is indeed an engagement ring, and not just a random present for the United Nations Goodwill ambassador and mother of six. Ms. Jolie was seen wearing the sparkling diamond at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Chinese Galleries on Wednesday. Do you hear that? That's the sound of gasps. And wedding bells.
    As you may know, this engagement comes after years of speculation. Since meeting on the set of Mr. And Mrs. Smith in 2003, the couple have been subjected to an endless stream of rumors, but a wedding has thus far eluded us. But let's look back, shall we? Memories… light the corners of my mind…

    OMFG, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Are Engaged.

    September 14, 2005

    Star magazine claims that Brad and Angelina will elope, even though Brad's divorce from Jennifer Aniston won't be final until October 2. Thus begins the villianization of Angelina.

    February 27, 2006

    Jossip ('member them?) reports that Brad and Angie have set a wedding date, and it is June 27, 2006. There is a Tiffany registry and everything!

    December 8, 2006

    Ok! magazine claims that following the birth of Shiloh in Namibia, Brad and Angelina are planning a "fairytale Christmas wedding in South Africa."

    Feburary 1, 2007

    "Wedding Bells For Bad Pitt and Angelina Jolie"
    Star is reporting that Angelina Jolie's mom's last dying wish was for her daughter to marry Brad Pitt.
    Sniffle. Let's head down the aisle.

    OMFG, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Are Engaged.

    May 12, 2007

    Ok! is quite sure that Angelina is planning the "wedding of the year." Dress by Marchesa! Matching rings! Red velvet cake!

    March 10, 2008

    In Touch shouts, "Yes, They're Getting MARRIED."
    We found a snippet of the article on an old message board. It read, in part:
    Brad & Angelina: The truth about their wedding
    After divorcing her second husband, Billy Bob Thornton, in 2003, Angelina Jolie insisted she'd never marry again, saying that she didn't need to be bound by "a piece of paper." But, after an eye-opening trip to Iraq in early February, Angelina, who's pregnant with twins, decided she should create a legal bond with Brad for the sake of their kids. When she called a close friend to spill the big news, it was a bit shocking. The friend joked that Angie was breaking her vow by taking a vow. But Brad is beyond happy about Angelina's change of heart.
    This "doing it for the kids" business will persist.

    OMFG, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Are Engaged.

    March 29, 2008

    Star claims that Angie and Brad have just been wed in the French Quarter Wedding Chapel in New Orleans. The original headline, "Star Exclusive: They Did It! Brad & Angelina Tie The Knot!" is later changed to "Did They Or Didn't They?" The Huffington Post keeps a running timeline as folks try to figure out if the wedding actually happened or not.

    OMFG, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Are Engaged.

    July 13, 2008

    BABY BREAK! Twin golden-haired deities Vivienne and Knox are born.

    OMFG, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Are Engaged.

    October 29, 2008

    Ok! swears that Angelina and Brad are not married but are planning a very small ceremony, and another adoption. Again, the nuptials will happen because the kids "beg" for it.

    December 18, 2008

    Oh, see, the reason Angelina and Brad haven't tied the knot yet is because they are squabbling over the prenup. So says Star.

    April 1, 2009

    According to Ok!, Brad wants to get married before he and Angie have any more kids — whether through pregnancy or adoption. "He needs to know Angie is really committed to him," a source adds. "Becoming Mrs. Pitt would give him the answer." Four years and six kids are simply not enough.

    December 2009

    Brad and Angie did not get married, but they did break up. A lot. Allegedly.

    OMFG, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Are Engaged.

    January 24, 2010

    Despite not being married, Angelina and Brad hire a divorce lawyer. They are expected to announce a split within months. Some become distraught and disillusioned. Where is the love, guys? Sob.

    April 21, 2010

    "Wedding For The Kids!" They don't want to get married, but they have to! The tiny dictators demand it!

    OMFG, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Are Engaged.

    December 2010

    Brad and Angelina plan to wed in a Hindu ceremony at an ashram in India. A guru has been enlisted.

    December 29, 2010

    In Touch takes us "inside their secret wedding" by Photoshopping Brad and Angelina onto a lovely beach scene. According to the mag: "Weeks before Christmas, Angelina and Brad whisked their six children off to a tropical paradise and gave them a gift they would never forget: A wedding." A caption next to a picture of Pax and Maddox reads, "They wanted this for so long." Angie and Brad exchanged vows "in a romantic though not legally binding ceremony" at a resort; no priest was present.

    June 22, 2011

    The mystical details of the "Secret Wedding In France" are revealed by In Touch: Brad and Angelina will be getting married in September, once the renovations on their chateau are done. They have chosen September 23 as the wedding date because that is the autumnal equinox. A source says: "They both feel that the equinox holds special meaning because it is the day that the Earth is most balanced - the night is as long as the day and the sun's center is on the same plane as the Earth." The mag adds: "Will getting married on the equinox ring in a new age of balance and calm for Brad and Angelina? One can only hope." Om.

    July 13, 2011

    Wednesday's issue of Us reports that three reputable sources claim Brad and Angelina plan to get married in September, at their Chateau in France. It will be "an intimate and informal affair." And since Us is considered more respectable than Ok!, Star and In Touch, the "news" was picked up by The LA Times, The Washington Post, The International Herald Tribune, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

    OMFG, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Are Engaged.

    January 2012

    The fall of 2011 was quiet, in terms of Brangelina wedding rumors. In the beginning of this year, though, Angelina was supposedly 98 lbs., pregnant, and headed to rehab. That would delay nuptials.

    OMFG, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Are Engaged.

    February 15, 2012

    Wedding Exclusive! Ok! reports that Angelina and Brad are planning a small ceremony at Chateau Mirval. And: "Brad and Angelina will be spending their honeymoon painting the nursery for the twin boys." She's pregnant with twins, y'all. Working on her own baseball team of kids. Moneyball!

    February 29, 2012

    In an ongoing campaign to demonize her and paint her as the awful other woman, In Touch asks us to believe that wedding planning is going on, but that Angelina has banned cake from the reception. Team Cake's monocles drop to the floor.

    March 14, 2012

    Ok! swears that a wedding will finally happen, assuring us that Angie and Brad will get married "before the arrival of their twin boys," and declaring that "Angie has no qualms about being a pregnant bride."

    Despite all of the rumors, an actual engagement ring is definitely news. And an actual ceremony appears to be on the horizon. Or is it? These two wily kids just might stay engaged for years, keeping us — and the tabloids — guessing.
    [The Hollywood Reporter, Us]



    Construction Continues On Brad And Angelina's Private Wedding Chapel At French Chateau

    Apr 13, 2012 04:30 PM

    brad-angie-reception-1.jpgangelina-brad-ws.jpg
    X17online told you first! Brad Pitt and Angelina are now officially engaged, but their wedding preps began long before Brad put a ring on Angie's finger ...
    The long-time couple began renovations on a private wedding chapel at their French chateau, Miraval, last year, in anticipation of the big day. The 14th-century estate and vineyard has been in a permanent state of remodeling and construction for almost a year, but it appears work on the property is close to being finished.
    So did Angelina know Brad was going to pop the question? Sure!
    The pair had already planned out a super luxe wedding at their compound in the south of France and sources tell X17online, the date is set for this fall!


    Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt on Marriage: Why We Weren't Ready to Tie the Knot

    Friday April 13, 2012 04:45 PM EDT
    Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt on Marriage: Why We Weren't Ready to Tie the Knot | Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt
    Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
    Landov
    Congratulations are in order for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, who confirmed their engagement to PEOPLE on Friday.

    But the couple, who've been together since 2005, have had plenty to say on the subject of marriage over the years – namely why they weren't going to do it.

    Citing lack of marriage equality and the commitment of parenting their six children, the two have celebrated their partnership in the press even as they (mostly) said they had no plans to walk down the aisle.

    Here's a chronological look back at how they've addressed their feelings about marriage over the years:



    Jan. 31, 2012

    "I think anything said tends to be blown out of proportion."
    • Jolie to PEOPLE on the red carpet at the Screen Actors Guild Awards when asked about the recent flurry of "ring talk", which Pitt said was "his fault" (clip below)

    Jan. 29, 2012

    "We're getting a lot of pressure from the kids. ... It means something to them and they're, you know, they have questions when their friends' parents are married and why is that? ... We will someday. We will. ... [But the kids say], 'Get mommy a ring!' Okay, I will, I will."
    • Pitt in an interview with CBS News

    Jan. 25, 2012

    "We'd actually like to [get married] And it seems to mean more and more to our kids. ... We made this declaration some time ago that we weren't going to do it till everyone can. But I don't think we'll be able to hold out. ... I'm not going to go any further. [But] it means so much to my kids, and they ask a lot. And it means something to me, too, to make that kind of commitment."
    • Pitt to the Hollywood Reporter about his changing stance on marriage



    Dec. 5, 2011

    "The kids asked me the other day and I asked them if it was just because they wanted to have a big cake. They see movies that have the people getting married in the movies or somebody's, you know, the happily ever after. Shrek and Fiona are married. ... We've explained to them that our commitment when we decided to start a family was the greatest commitment you could possibly have. Once you have six children ... you're committed."
    • Jolie to Christiane Amanpour in interviews that aired on Good Morning America and Nightline

    Sep. 20, 2011

    "The kids are putting on the heat. They really are. They are putting on the heat. ... How do you I get out of this one? Somebody help me. I don't know what the future holds."
    • Pitt tells Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show

    August 2011

    "[There's no] secret wedding."
    • Jolie denies that she's pregnant, adopting and tying the knot in a Vanity Fair interview

    May 26, 2011

    "The kids ask about marriage. ... It's meaning more and more to them. So it's something we've got to look at."
    • Pitt tells USA Weekend



    June 2010

    "[We're not] against getting married. ... It's just like we already are. Children are clearly a commitment, a bigger commitment [than marriage]. It's for life."
    • Jolie opens up to Vanity Fair

    August 2008

    "When someone asked me why Angie and I don't get married, I replied, 'Maybe we'll get married when it's legal for everyone else.' I stand by that, although I took a lot of flak for saying it – hate mail from religious groups. I believe everyone should have the same rights. They say gay marriage ruins families and hurts kids. Well, I've had the privilege of seeing my gay friends being parents and watching their kids grow up in a loving environment."
    • Pitt to Parade

    June 2008

    "People have made a lot out of it that we're not, but we both have been married before, and it's very easy to get married, but it's not easy to build a family and be parents together. And maybe we've done it backwards, but we certainly feel married."
    • Jolie to Vanity Fair



    July 2007

    "We're not against it. It just doesn't seem necessary. He and I have never discussed it in detail, but I would assume – because we [both] went down that road before – it's not that contract or that ceremony that makes you feel solid. We've gone the back way around, and maybe there is something to that – that it's the hard work and the exhaustion and the children that really do make you solid."
    • Jolie to Marie Claire

    Dec. 25, 2006

    "No."
    • Jolie tells PEOPLE whether she and Pitt are married

    October 2006

    "Angie and I will consider tying the knot when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able."
    • Pitt explains to Esquire why he and Jolie are not ready to wed



    What to Know About Robert Procop, Angelina Jolie's Engagement Ring Designer

    Saturday April 14, 2012 07:30 PM EDT
    What to Know About Robert Procop, Angelina Jolie's Engagement Ring Designer | Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt
    Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and son Pax viewing LACMA's Chinese collection
    The Los Angeles County Museum of Art/PRNewsFoto
     The only name garnering as much chatter as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie right now is Robert Procop – the man behind the actress's engagement ring.

    After a rep confirmed on Friday that Pitt and Jolie will tie the knot, the Internet was buzzing about Procop, who worked with the Academy Award winner, 36, on her "Style of Jolie" jewelry line last year.

    Now everyone knows that Procop – who has shops in Beverly Hills, Geneva and Hong Kong – collaborated with Pitt, 48, for a year on creating the beautiful bauble. But here are some additional things to know:

    1. Procop's Beverly Hills store is open by appointment only
    Procop's Los Angeles shop is located on Dayton Way and Rodeo Drive, right in the heart of 90210. But that doesn't mean it's easy to find. Tucked away in a private location, an address to the place is not given freely over the phone. The designer sees clients on an appointment-only basis.

    2. His jewelry is also worn by Robert Downey Jr.'s wife
    The actor's better half, Susan, stepped out this week at the L.A. premiere of The Avengers, sporting amethyst jewelry made by Procop in honor of their new son Exton's birthstone. At the 2011 Oscars, she also wore earrings Procop designed with Jolie.

    3. His jewelry success paid his way through college
    Procop's teenage years were spent buying and selling diamonds. He became so well established as a gemstone trader that he was able to afford his university studies all on his own. He went on to open his Beverly Hills shop during his final year of school.

    What to Know About Robert Procop, Angelina Jolie's Engagement Ring Designer| Engagements, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt
    Robert Procop and Angelina Jolie
    Eric Charbonneau / Wireimage; Gilbert Flores / Celebrity Photo
    4. He calls it an honor to work with Jolie
    "Angelina embodies sensual elegance, serene confidence and incomparable spirit," Procop says in a statement on his website. From one endeavor, her creative vision draws two equally impressive outcomes: to transform the finest gems into transcendent works of art, and ultimately, to improve the lives of many who are in need."

    5. He's charitable
    For years, Procop has been involved in the L.A.-based non profit the House of Ruth, which helps families affected by domestic violence. According to his website, Procop bought and developed two shelters for the charity. The jeweler also "unequivocally supports Angelina Jolie's charitable efforts helping children living in regions of conflict around the globe," says the site.