Leave it to Jennifer Lopez to mark her engagement with a diamond fit for an actual queen.
“That’s a pretty one,” says London Jewelers’ vice president Scott Udell of J.Lo’s magnificent, emerald-cut sparkler. He estimates that it’s worth well more than a million dollars. And while the “Elizabeth Taylor-level” ring — which Lopez’s longtime boyfriend Alex Rodriguez proposed with in March — is simply too, well, huge for the typical consumer to copy, the style and shape will certainly influence shoppers in the coming months.
That’s the power of celebrity engagement rings: They show us new ways to say “I love you” — with serious jewelry.
A particularly stunning, high-profile bauble “has the ability to shift a trend a little bit, to get people thinking a little more outside the box,” Udell explains. With the recent flurry of buzzy engagements across Hollywood — stars including Lopez, Jennifer Lawrence, Heidi Klum and Katy Perry have all recently said “yes” to their partners — come a variety of exquisite rings to inspire us all.
Like Lopez, Jennifer Lawrence is also flaunting an emerald-cut solitaire, given to her by her fiancé, Cooke Maroney. The design — an Art Deco diamond in a simple setting — is very of-the-moment, says Lee Tucker, senior vice president of merchandising at David Yurman (which did not make the ring). “There was something about the emerald cut that felt very 1920s, very antique for many years,” he says. “But now, I think people are seeing it as a modernist look, because it feels very graphic and geometric.”
That’s not the only way that J.Law is rocking the most cutting-edge engagement looks.
Along with her estimated 4- or 5-carat gem, the “Red Sparrow” actress is sporting a matching gold band, with a tiny fleck of diamond, next to it on her pinky finger. Having more than one ring — one for the gala and another for the grocery store, for instance — is a budding trend, too, notes Tucker.
“We’re seeing bands being purchased as multiples now,” he says of women getting more and more creative with their wedding jewelry. “She’s either wearing one at a time and changing them out, or she’s stacking them to create this unique look.”
Even beyond that, Tucker says that buyers are getting more adventurous with their engagement rings. Women are exploring their options beyond just the traditional diamond solitaire, shopping for less conventional stones to express their own style preferences. And leading ladies are also leading the charge on this, he says: “Whether it’s a pink diamond, or a yellow diamond, a sapphire, emerald or ruby, we’ve seen all of these amazing, colorful gemstones showing up on celebrities’ fingers.”
Superstar singer Perry, for example, is sporting an attractive and unusual constellation of stones from fiancé Orlando Bloom. It features a richly hued pink center stone — likely a good-quality ruby, says Udell — surrounded by round-cut diamonds, arranged like sparkling flower petals. This style is a gorgeous “alternative option” for someone seeking an unconventional, standout piece. “It’s very on-trend with all the color play we’re seeing nowadays,” Udell says.
For women who are looking to mix-and-match colored gems, Udell says a classic three-stone ring, like Klum’s new sparkler, is a wonderful option.
Klum’s jewel, from rock-’n’-roller fiancé Tom Kaulitz, is an enigmatic greenish center stone (Udell guesses that it’s color-changing alexandrite) in a halo setting, flanked by smaller, square-cut diamonds. A three-stone ring like this one offers the buyer almost infinite options for interesting color-and-cut combinations.
“You can do colored sides, you can mix and match shapes, you can set the center stone in platinum and then have the body of the ring in rose gold,” says Udell. “This is a great example of how you can really have fun with an engagement ring.”
When it comes to wedding shoppers expressing their personal style, Tucker agrees there really are no limits.
“You’re seeing this injection of fashion and style within the wedding space,” he says. “It’s a time when people are being more open and creative.”