From Halle Berry to Taylor Swift, the latest celebrity engagement rings are distinctive and deeply personal
When Halle Berry arrived at the London premiere of her new film “Crime 101” in January, red carpet watchers praised the 59-year-old Oscar winner’s bejeweled skirt and plunging V-neck bodysuit, worn with a striking silver pendant.But few noted the stunning vintage sparkler she had on her ring finger. It wasn’t until Berry appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in February that fans realized that the funky Deco-style bauble she had been sporting for the past month was actually an engagement ring.The confusion was understandable.
The ring — which dates back to the late 1940s to early 1950s — does not look like your typical engagement ring.Given by Berry’s longtime beau, musician Van Hunt, it features a round center diamond surrounded by a geometric grid of square-cut sapphires, set in yellow gold.It was like a fashion-forward work of art.
Which makes it both unique and, ironically, right on trend.According to Sam Broekema, editor-in-chief of Only Natural Diamonds at the Natural Diamond Council, today’s brides are increasingly “drawn to engagement rings that are not engagement rings.” “It’s not about a wham-in-your-face enormous diamond solitaire,” he says.“The symbolism of it is in the finger you wear it on, as opposed to the style [of the ring].” An engagement ring, he adds, should “express you, express your union and your relationship — and we’re none of us cookie-cutter.”Scott Udell, vice president of London Jewelers, has also witnessed this shift.
His clients are requesting vintage cuts, sculptural designs and, especially, wide yellow gold bands, like Berry’s.“Ten years ago, the engagement ring world was so white gold and platinum heavy,” he says.“Now, you’re seeing yellow and thicker bands, cigar-like bands.
We’re making a ton of yellow gold rings.“It’s a completely different look than what we were building a decade ago,” he adds.Berry is just one of a myriad of celebrities saying “...