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"Bling-a-ding ding!\r\nL.A. Laker Sasha Vujacic made a slam dunk when he proposed to tennis champ Maria Sharapova last Tuesday.\r\nA beaming Sharapova, 23, recently stepped out with her un-missable new engagement ring from her beau, 26.\r\n\r\n&amp;quot;This ring makes a statement. It&amp;apos;s no wonder why Maria is smiling in the photos! &amp;quot; jewelry expert Michael O&amp;apos;Connor tells UsMagazine.com.\r\nO&amp;apos;Connor gives Us more details on the Grand Slam winner&amp;apos;s bling: the center stone appears to be a cushion-cut diamond of approximately 7 to 8 carats on a thick, split-shank platinum band. See more shots of Maria&amp;apos;s ring.\r\nEstimated cost, according to O&amp;apos;Connor: $250,000.\r\n\r\nAfter nearly a year of dating -- they first stepped out together at a November 2009 U2 concert -- Vujacic proposed to Sharapova in his Manhattan Beach, Calif. home. No wedding date has been announced.\r\n\r\nBack in August, the Slovenia-born basketball star says he and Sharapova has &amp;quot;helped each other&amp;quot; become better at their respective sports. &amp;quot;We both understand what the other is doing and going through, and what it takes to do well in what we do,&amp;quot; he said of Russia-born Sharapova."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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