August 31, 2023
Three years after the tragic death of his wife, Noelia, with whom he has three kids—sons Starling Jr. and Smerling and daughter Tiana—MLB star Starling Marte has found love again. Currently on temporary leave while recovering from an injury, the New York Mets All-Star outfielder made an announcement on his Instagram recently, revealing that he had popped the question to his now-fiancée, Elianny Santana. In his Instagram post, there is an image showing the couple kissing in the back seat of a car, with Elianny Santana proudly showing her hand with the words "I said yes" scrawled on her palm and her lavish engagement ring shown. A subsequent photo shows the couple affectionately holding hands on the hood of a Rolls Royce. The phrase "she said yes" is written on Marte's hand, with the ring displayed on Santana's hand. Marte and Santana’s engagement occurred just over three years following Marte's loss of his first wife in 2020, a tragic event caused by her sudden passing due to a heart attack. Frequently, Marte has shared images of himself with Santana on his social media accounts.
While Marte is celebrating his joyful news away from the playing field, his performance this season has been marred by a persistent groin problem, which led to his placement on the injured list earlier in the month. Despite his initial hope for a quick comeback, Marte revealed to reporters that his ability to participate in September remains uncertain. He referred to the potential of undergoing additional groin surgery during the offseason as a “complicated” possibility. Marte’s decade-long career as an MLB player began with the Pittsburgh Pirates. As his career progressed, 34-year-old Marte secured a four-year contract worth $78 million with the Mets, earning All-Star status in 2022. He subsequently achieved a batting average of 292 and completed 18 successful stolen base attempts during his previous season. However, this season has posed challenges due to persistent groin injuries. Consequently, he has been inactive since July.
The details of Elianny's personal life remain relatively undisclosed, and she maintains a private presence on social media. Limited information is available about her, but there is speculation that, like her fiancé, she also hails from the Dominican Republic. Nevertheless, it is known that she is a supportive presence in Marte's life. Although the specifics of Elianny’s side stone oval-cut engagement ring remain unknown, our Ritani gemologists estimate that the ample-sized oval-cut diamond in the center of her ring is approximately a whopping 7 to 8 carats. The sizable side stones along the band of her ring appear to be radiant-cut stones, with an estimated combined carat weight of approximately 12 carats.
Oval-cut engagement rings have soared in popularity over recent years. As seen on the hands of numerous celebrities, oval-cut diamonds showcase intense brilliance, and they always appear larger than their carat size due to their elongated surface area compared to other diamond cuts. They also offer the desirable effect of making the wearer's finger appear longer and slimmer—what's not to love?
Ritani is renowned for creating precisely customized, bespoke engagement rings to our customers' exact specifications. If you would love to design such a ring, contact us today to get started!