Stephanie Rice reveals lavish details about her 18-carat gold engagement ring - after her boyfriend Mark Lassey popped the question following whirlwind seven-month romance

Stephanie Rice delighted fans earlier this week by announcing her engagement to Aussie pastor Mark Lassey after a whirlwind seven-month romance.

But it wasn't just the news of their Dubai proposal that had everyone talking, with her jaw-dropping 18-carat white gold engagement ring instead stealing the show.

The swimmer, 36, shared the news of her engagement on Instagram on Thursday, flashing her sparkling ring designed by renowned Perth jeweller Charles Edward.

Further details have now been revealed about the lavish custom piece of jewellery, which was specially crafted for the sporting legend at her partner Lassey's request. 

While its price isn't known, the intricate piece boasts an 18-carat white gold band with a large centre stone and is flanked by eight stunning diamonds on each side.

Jeweller Charles Edward, who shares his name with the workshop's original founder despite taking over the store in 1999, shared the fascinating backstory behind the dazzling one-of-a-kind ring.

He said he was introduced to Rice's partner through a fellow pastor at the Kingdomcity Church in Canning Vale, where Lassey works, but had no idea who the special ring was intended for at the time.

'He mentioned Stephanie Rice, and I said, ''Oh my gosh!'', this is the lady you've been talking about?' Edward told PerthNow, recalling the moment he learned of the Olympian's involvement.

The stunning engagement ring, which Edward describes as 'individually crafted', is a one-off design, made exclusively for Rice.

'This is a once-off because I haven't done it for anybody else,' Edward confirmed, proud of his craftsmanship on such a significant commission.

Lassey, 46, spoke warmly about the experience of working with the jeweller to create the bespoke ring, crediting their shared faith for the smooth collaboration.

'It was a one of one design that we had the opportunity of developing together step by step, and that was really important to Steph and to me,' Lassey said.

On Thursday, Rice took to Instagram to confirm that she and Lassey were engaged, just weeks after they first went public with their romance in July.

She shared an array of sweet snaps of the moment pastor and Aussie father-of-three Lassey popped the question at Dubai's luxury Atlantis The Royal hotel.

The couple, who met around seven months ago, looked overjoyed as they beamed from ear-to-ear and shared a kiss, while Rice flashed her diamond sparkler.

In a caption, Rice gushed: 'Here's to fresh starts and second chances… Yes to a lifetime with you.'

She concluded the post with a Bible verse, writing: '''Seek your happiness in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desire.'' ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭37‬:‭4‬.'

Rice had been quietly dating the Australian pastor for five months before officially confirming their romance at the start of July.

'When we met almost 5 months ago, we both knew this was different,' she gushed at the time in an Instagram post alongside cosy snaps of herself and Mark.

'From the start, there was a deep intentionally between us, and because of the complexities of our lives we wanted to keep these first few months between close family and friends, and enjoy the wonder of falling in love.'

They were introduced through a mutual friend and then started a long-distance romance as Lassey is based in Perth while Rice moved to Dubai in November.

The couple bonded over their faith, with Rice having joined the church when she relocated to Dubai late last year and she is now heavily involved with Kingdom City. 

Lassey has been the lead pastor at Perth's Kingdom City Church since June 2015 and, according to an online profile, is 'committed to creating thriving community and guiding individuals transformed by gospel'.

The energetic preacher is the father of three grown sons - Tyler, Joel and Luke - from his first marriage, which ended at the start of 2021 after 25 years.

He is also active on social media and frequently shares photos of him giving sermons to Instagram, along with heartfelt messages about his faith. 

Although he is currently resides in Perth, he often flies across the Asia-Pacific region as part of his role, which is how he met Dubai-based Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Rice earlier this year.