Celebrity Engagement Rings

A celebrity engagement, and their ring, is often pored over by the public – especially with the advent of Instagram making the announcement and corresponding photos an occasion in itself.

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When most people think of engagement rings, the first one that comes to mind is Princess Diana’s sapphire ring – one which son Prince William then used to propose to Kate Middleton, ahead of their wedding in April 2011. The deep blue colouring and oval design surrounded by small diamonds became immediately recognisable and is still just as iconic today as it was when Prince Charles proposed to Diana in February 1981, after meeting only 13 times. She was just 19 years old.

Interestingly, Penelope Cruz has a copycat sapphire ring, presented to her by Javier Bardem on their engagement in October 2009. The sapphire set with diamonds has fewer carats, but is no less attractive for it. Prince Harry also chose to incorporate his late mother’s gems into the ring he gave Meghan Markle, with two of Diana’s diamonds set either side of a larger central diamond.

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Diamond engagement rings

The most traditional gemstone for an engagement ring is a diamond, but there are so many styles, cuts and sizes of diamond ring that you can choose, that the opportunities to find something to suit you are endless.

• The dance moves to ‘Single Ladies’ by Beyonce show her pointing at her ring finger, singing ‘If you like it, then you should have put a ring on it’. And Jay Z did. A massive 18-carat emerald-cut diamond, in fact. It is fair to say it is not one that can be missed.
• In a similar style, Jennifer Lopez was presented with a pale green diamond set on a ring designed by Rahaminov Diamonds, when proposed to by Ben Affleck. The rare green diamond was sourced especially for the occasion. It is the third engagement ring J-Lo has received.
• As you might expect from the classy first lady, Michelle Obama’s diamond engagement ring is understated, featuring a traditional one-carat solitaire diamond on a plain gold band. But it is no less beautiful for it.
• Lorraine Schwartz designed the rings for both Kourtney and Kim Kardashian. Kim was given a lavish cushion-cut diamond on a pave ring which reportedly cost Kanye West $8million, but was subsequently stolen from a hotel in Paris in 2016, while Kourtney had a simple narrow band topped with a flawless oval cut diamond.

Unusual engagement rings

• Ariana Grande is said to have used a pearl from one of her grandad’s tie pins to be set alongside the slanted diamond in her engagement ring. It makes for an unusual, but stunning, design which is truly unique to her
• Jack Brooksbank’s choice of ring for Princess Eugenie was a beautiful padparadscha sapphire in a pink-orange tone, surrounded by diamonds. This type of sapphire is extremely rare, but knowledge of it was boosted when it was seen on Princess Eugenie’s finger, and it is gaining in popularity because of it.
• Pink was also the colour for Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, with Lorraine Schwartz once again in action designing a large oval pink diamond ring on a narrow diamond band. The engagement came as a surprise to the general public, but we have lapped up the pairing ever since.
• Orlando Bloom proposed to Katy Perry with a flower-shaped ring – possibly to signify the Bloom surname – using a pink stone surrounded by diamonds and set in gold to create the flower. When announcing their engagement on Instagram, Katy commented ‘Full Bloom’.
• Halle Berry and ex-husband Olivier Martinez opted for a stunning bright green emerald ring, which was mined from Columbia and was engraved with symbols that only the two of them can interpret.
• Megan Fox and fiancé Machine Gun Kelly decided to have two stones – a diamond and an emerald – set on an angle and with magnetic gold bands. The pear-shaped gems complement each other perfectly.

All of these rings offered something different to the more standard designs, standing out amongst the celebrity crowd and providing a talking point and plenty of paparazzi and social media photo opportunities.

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Vintage engagement rings

Antique engagement rings, often passed down as an heirloom, are as popular now as they were when they were first designed and created. They offer up something that is truly unique and has already stood the test of time.

• Michael Douglas chose a vintage Fred Leighton ring for Catherine Zeta-Jones. The 10-carat marquise diamond was side-set for added interest, and cost $1million – not surprising, considering the cost of their actual wedding in November 2000, which was reportedly in excess of $2million.
• Although not actually a vintage ring, Jessica Biel’s engagement token from Justin Timberlake was designed to have a vintage styling to it. Scrolled sides and black platinum were combined with a curved-cornered square cut diamond to provide a venerable classic look.
• As vintage rings go, you can’t not mention the engagement ring given to Jackie-O, by President John F Kennedy, in 1953. The style icon was given a two-gem diamond and emerald ring, enclosed by two baguette diamonds in a unique shape that is still swooned over now, and is reportedly worth over $1million.

Final thoughts

Not to ever do anything by halves, it is thought that Victoria Beckham has 15 engagement rings – all from David, we hasten to add! – although the one he actually chose to propose with is a simple gold band set with a marquise-cut diamond. He obviously couldn’t decide on just one.

The wide range of engagement rings on offer makes it almost impossible to choose and narrow it down to that special something. Our customers often use celebrity engagement rings as their inspiration for choosing the ring for their partner. And that comes as no surprise.

Our staff can offer help and advice to make the process easier. Contact us today or pop into our showroom in Guildford to discuss your options and take a look at what we have available.