That’s a bargain! Hugh Hefner’s runaway bride Crystal Harris sells $90,000 engagement ring… for half price
It was a symbol of love from her former fiance Hugh Hefner.
But runaway bride Crystal Harris has raked in $38,000 after putting her 3.39 carat diamond ring up for auction.
It is a far cry from the $90,000 her former lover paid for the piece of jewellry less than a year ago.
With taxes and fees, the final bill for the mystery buyer was $47,500.
Amazingly however the infamous ring actually exceeded auctioneer expectations, as it was only expected to raise between $20,000 and $30,000.
Crystal, 25, sold the item in the saleroom today at an auction at Christie's in New York.
A source who spoke to TMZ said: '[Crystal] couldn't bear to look at the ring anymore because it brought back bad memories.'
Hefner has so far yet to comment on the sale.
It was only a few months ago when Crystal halted wedding plans just days before the couple were due to tie the knot.
Within weeks she'd reportedly visited a jeweller to get the ring valued.
Crystal had the ring priced at Prospect Jewellers in La Jolla, California, near San Diego reported U.S. website TMZ in June.
When the owner of the store asked for information on the jewels such as cut and clarity, Crystal was clueless.
A call to the Playboy Mansion did not shed any light on the matter so she left after a fruitless mission.
TMZ reported that when the jewellery shop owner told Crystal he was sorry to hear about Hefner, she replied, 'Are you kidding? It was all for publicity.'
Crystal reportedly had good intentions to return the valuable ring after she called off the wedding.
After a party weekend at Sin City's Wet Republic with reality stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt the week before the valuation, Crystal returned to the Playboy Mansion to return the ring to Hefner, according to Radar, but he told her to keep it.
As well as her expensive ring, Crystal was also allowed to keep a Bentley, another gift from the ageing bachelor.
Despite her unusual behaviour since the break up, Crystal stands by her decision not to walk down the aisle with Hefner.
'I just knew when it was getting close it wasn't fair to [Hefner] and wasn't fair to go through with it. I wanted to be true to myself and be true to what was best for everybody,' she said, according to People Magazine.