Diamond engagement rings are cool and all, but after nearly 550 years in the spotlight (the first known diamond engagement ring was given to Mary of Burgundy by Archduke Maximillian of Austria in 1477), we're due for a change. So, this winter proposal season, we're placing our bets on a new star in the ring department : pearls. They might not be the first thing you think of, but pearls are far from second best.