Jesse and Kat Engagement Aftermath: The Ring, the Rush, and What Sandra Knew

Wonderwall, Friday, January 21, 2011, 9:44am (PST)

By Kat Giantis

We'd wish Jesse James a rousing "mazel tov" on his engagement to Kat Von D, but given his penchant for playing dress-up in unsavory military gear, maybe not. Actually, even a regular "congratulations" is getting stuck in our throat, what with his classless betrothal announcement that seemed like one long dig at ex-wife Sandra Bullock (it boiled down to, "Neener-neener-neener, Sandra, I found someone I think is better than you, and, by the way, our marriage meant nothing, even though I cried on national TV about screwing it up. Neener-neener-neener").

Still, we'd be remiss if we didn't give you the lowdown on Kat's engagement ring, which, surprisingly, didn't come out of a tattoo needle. People and Us, which must have gotten identical press releases, report that it's a four-carat-plus, platinum and diamond Neil Lane sparkler with some vintage-like filigree and scrollwork.

Kat showed off the ring in a black-and-white pic posted on Jesse's Twitter Thursday night. The photo, which features her holding a metallic pear for some reason, was accompanied by yet another thickly laid-on declaration of James' twoo lurve.

"Epic day comes to an end," he wrote. "Closing my eyes to dream about [Kat]."

RELATED: Jesse says Kat is 'my other half'

Bullock, for her part, handled the news in stride, stepping out in New York with 1-year-old son Louis, whose adoption she finalized as a single parent after dumping James last March following the two-timing revelations.

According to PopEater, the Oscar winner was aware of his proposal plans, which might be why she tried to hide behind a fortified wall of bangs at the Golden Globes.

"Sandra knew it was coming, and she was ready," says a source, who adds that she has moved onward and upward. "It may seem like only yesterday that Jesse and Sandra split, but for her, life has changed so much, that it seems like ages ago."

RELATED VIDEO: Sandra says, Ryan Reynolds is not my lovah

In fact, it's been just seven months since Bullock and James finalized their divorce, and he's been dating Von D for only about five months. Not that the father of three is going to let something as ridiculous as time stand in the way of his fourth trip to the altar.

"Jesse and Kat don't see any reason why they should wait to trade vows," an insider tells RadarOnline. "They are madly in love with each other and want to make everything official."

And the well-wishes are already pouring in for the tatted-up couple.

"The only way that Jesse James and Kat Von D could have a marriage that would work was if it was an open relationship," Janine Lindemulder, who was Mrs. James No. 2, grouses to Radar. "At the end of the day, Jesse is a pure narcissist -- he needs to have some woman on his arm that will have people talking about him and keeping him in the spotlight -- that is what he sees in Kat Von D."

Also sending along her congrats is Jesse's alleged former mistress, Michelle "So Not a Bombshell" McGee, who took time out of her busy Nazi regalia-posing schedule to flap her gums to Radar.

"Kat, what in the world are you thinking?" she opines. "I was with Jesse during his marriage -- the guy's not faithful. He doesn't have a faithful bone in his body! ... If he did it to me, if he did it to Sandra, he's gonna do it to you, too -- once a cheater always a cheater. He cheated on his wife, numerous times."

In his gushing engagement confirmation, James called 2010, the year in which he lost a devoted wife through his own idiocy and id-driven impulses, the "best" of his life.

"I fell in love with my best friend," he oversold. "I have never met anyone so kind and loving and committed to making the world a better place every day. My love for her is beyond description."

Oh, and this: "I would gladly go through all I have been through again, if in the end I could have Katherine."

Von D, who has said that James is "only my ninth boyfriend," was equally effusive, telling Us, "I think in the past I thought I knew what love was. I think I am growing up a lot, too, and realizing the truth in a lot of things and feel really blessed now."

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