A woman is sharing the story behind the viral moment she turned down an engagement ring from her boyfriend — but not for the reason you’d think.

Earlier this year, influencer Beatrice Balaj shared a

the و she و engagement – تفاصيل مهمة

of her engagement ring to TikTok — and shared that it was the second ring her fiancé had purchased.

“Him proposing with a normal size diamond after I turned down the 10 carat yellow diamond because it was tacky,” she captioned the clip, which has since garnered than 1.7 million likes on the platform.

the و her و ring – تفاصيل مهمة

The TikTok showed Balaj, 35, holding out her hand to reveal her new pear-cut diamond ring on a gold band.

The TikTok community was quickly divided, and commenters had thoughts — how big is too big for a diamond, what constitutes a “tacky” ring, what was the conversation like with her fiancé when she told him she’d like a different ring?

Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE, Balaj shares that she and her fiancé had actually spoken about what kind of ring she’d like before the engagement — and she was able to tell him that she’d prefer a white diamond over a yellow one before he actually popped the question.

a و was و and – تفاصيل مهمة

“The initial ring was a yellow diamond,” the Los Angeles-based celebrity fashion stylist and creative director explains. “I was actually working on a cover photo shoot forGraziaMagazine. I pulled some INSANE diamond for the photo shoot, and when I saw that yellow diamond, I instantly fell in love.”

“(My fiancé ended up secretly contacting the jeweler. I was torn between a yellow diamond and a white diamond,” Balaj continues. “What many people on TikTok thought I did was turn down the proposal, but I didn’t — I turned down the ring.”

According to the Sacosha Enterprise founder, she told her then-boyfriend that she couldn’t accept such a large stone, as it was 10 carats.

“I loved it, but we both agreed that a smaller diamond was me,” she adds, describing her style as “dainty.”

the و I و was – تفاصيل مهمة

“I love yellow gold, classic and simple. I’m drawn to effortless jewelry, nothing flashy or out of touch,” she says.

When it came to the new ring, Balaj left it up to her fiancé to select a style — but expressed a few preferences, including a pear-cut stone, a gold band and platinum prongs to go along with a white diamond.

“It was a complete surprise. He nailed it,” she shares. “I absolutely love it! It’s exactly what I wanted. I’m happy I didn’t end up keeping the 10-carat yellow diamond.”

a و to و Beatrice – تفاصيل مهمة

As for the proposal, Balaj says that she was completely surprised, as her fiancé had planned an elaborate scheme to get her dressed up and out of the house.

“He gave me a one-month notice that our friend’s 40th birthday was coming up and they were going to have a formal dinner party,” she reveals, sharing that her fiancé even created a fake invitation with a real phone number for the RSVP.

“The week of the proposal, he asked me what I was going to wear and mentioned to wear something really nice. So I thought, ‘Wow, this is going to be a fancy birthday,’” she jokes.

When it came to the day of the proposal, Balaj shares that she was “freaked out” because her makeup wasn’t turning out right

a و to و the – تفاصيل مهمة

“He was so sweet and told me to take my time and just redo my glam. I thought to myself, ‘We are going to be late for a formal dinner, why isn’t he rushing me?’ So I instantly asked myself if he was going to propose,” she quips.

The pair eventually made it out of the house and were driving to the “dinner” when Balaj’s fiancé pulled over at a cliffside in Palos Verdes and began a heartfelt speech.

“I asked him, ‘Are you going to propose?’ and I began tearing up because I couldn’t believe it was actually happening!” she shares. “After he proposed, I asked him if anyone will care that we are running late, and he laughed and said it was all made up so I wouldn’t think he was proposing. It was a total surprise.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

and و to و a – تفاصيل مهمة

Balaj says her fiancé “came into my life at the right time,” as she had just had a loss in her family.

“One of my younger cousins had taken his own life, and I was completely devastated,” she says, recounting how she was asked to work a movie premiere the very next day. “My fiancé was so empathetic and made me a playlist of ‘happy songs’ to help me get through the day and the weeks after.”

“So I put on my makeup, blasted that playlist and forced a smile even though I was shattered inside. When you work the freelance industry, you have to show up,” she shares. “You truly don’t know what people go through behind the scenes.”

As for her wedding, “we are hoping, God willing, it’ll happen in 2026.”

the و and و was – تفاصيل مهمة

“Once we lock in a wedding planner, things will all fall into place,” Balaj adds.