Craig Conover Almost Bought a Rental Property With the Money He Got After Selling Paige DeSorbo’s Engagement Ring

“Southern Charm” cast member Craig Conover almost expanded his real estate portfolio with the money he received from selling the engagement ring he purchased for “Summer House” alum Paige DeSorbo.

The Bravo couple called it quits in November 2024 after about three years together, but on the Sept. 16 episode of the “Two Ts in a Pod” podcast with Teddi Mellencamp and Tamra Judge, Conover revealed that he was just recently able to sell the diamond he had purchased with plans for popping the question.

“A lot of people don’t understand the ring process. They thought you just go into a store and buy the ring. But no, I bought a stone and then had it made,” the Sewing Down South founder explained.

Conover said that he worked with a New York jeweler to have a ring made, but that it was a challenge to sell the diamond after the split, because it was a “very popular cut at the time” and demand for the style has since tapered off.

During a June 2025 appearance on "The Toast," he described the ring as a "4-carat elongated cushion-cut" platinum piece "with a hidden halo underneath it."

“I did get a surprise text ... He’s like, ‘I have a buyer for the stone. You’re going to eat some, but is this number OK?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s great,’” he recalled.

Conover mentioned that the money recouped “was enough for a rental property” and that he considered investing in one after the sale.

The Charleston, SC, resident also added the transaction was “kind of a bonus” because he “had forgotten about” the ring.

During his previous interview with "The Toast," Conover explained that when he initially made the purchase, the jeweler shared a piece of advice that ultimately made the return easier to navigate.

"I mean, returning an engagement ring isn't something you plan on doing," he said. "But it's funny, when I bought it, he was like, 'Hey, in case anything happens, I'll work with you to do it.' He's like, 'It's just something that I tell people.' And so when I brought it back, I felt weird, but it wasn't weird."

The ring has been somewhat of a hot topic for the former couple.

In May 2025, during the “Summer House” Season 9 reunion, DeSorbo said she was unconvinced that a ring was actually purchased, saying, “That ring does not exist.”

During their time together, the reality TV stars maintained a long-distance relationship, with Conover residing in South Carolina and DeSorbo living in New York City.

The former couple was often at odds over their distanced living arrangements, with each of them comfortable in their respective locales.

During Season 7 of “Summer House,” DeSorbo mentioned it would be “scary” to consider a Charleston relocation.

“I will be changing a lot more than you would be," she explained. "I will be changing my whole life. I have no friends in Charleston, I don’t know anyone, and my whole career is [in New York].”

Later that season, during the reunion, she elaborated: “I have only known living in the state of New York, I’m very close to my parents, and the thought of being a plane ride away to my family when I’m starting my own family was very scary to me.”

Still, she didn’t expect Conover to move to Manhattan, either.

“I know Craig so well, and he—long term—wouldn’t be happy in New York, and I wouldn’t want to put that on him,” she said.

During the recent podcast episode, Mellencamp and Judge asked Conover for an update on his life in Charleston.

“Charleston will always be home,” he said when asked if he’d consider a move to Los Angeles. “Charleston is my home base.”

That hasn’t always been the case, however. Conover originally hails from Delaware, where his parents still live. He visits his family frequently.

“I promised my parents I’d go home once a month, and I do,” he explained.

Although Conover did not end up purchasing a rental property, he does own a home that “Southern Charm” fans are quite familiar with, as the show often films at his residence.

He currently lives in a Mount Pleasant abode he purchased in 2018. Conover has since been carefully renovating the Colonial-style home.

The process ended up being quite a headache, and at one point in 2020, he had to vacate the home and temporarily move in with cast mate and close friend Austen Kroll, due to an unexpected discovery.

“Ten months ago, I was living in literally a house decorated by a professional decorator and I really felt like an adult. It was amazing. Then, a plumber came for a routine checkup, and there was a broken pipe, asbestos got blown all over my house, and now I cannot live there until the asbestos is gone,” he shared during Season 7 of “Southern Charm.”

These days, Conover’s home is in much better shape and was even featured in Charleston Home and Design magazine in October 2025.