Sustainable Engagement Rings Inspired by Celebrities
Are you one of the millions of people who have decided that they want to design their own sustainably sourced engagement ring? Where do you get your inspiration from and where do you go to get the sustainable ring made? Are you looking at celebrity engagement rings for inspiration? How do you design a celebrity inspired engagement ring? And how do you ensure that the ring you get is sustainable and ethical?
Celebrities throughout history have had the means and public profile to make the fashion trends that society often (though not always) followed. Today, with the ubiquitous flash of celebrity images on social media far outpacing the extent to which historical celebrities appeared in the public eye, it's no wonder that their influence on fashion trends is greater than ever before.
Nowadays, people are yearning for engagement rings that resemble celebrity engagement rings. Celebrities have shown that unique engagement rings can make a stunning statement piece, and these stars have surely left their mark on society. Many of those rings however are not representative of sustainability and are not ethically sourced. However, some are, and your unusual celebrity engagement ring based on them certainly can be sustainable.
Discover below:
- Inspiring celebrity engagement ring designs
- How Michael Gabriels can help you recreate a sustainable celebrity ring design
Celebrity Rings that can be Sustainably Reproduced
Grace Kelly’s celebrity engagement ring set a veritable standard of style, and elements of that ring can be seen in every generation of stars' rings since. While not the first ring Prince Rainier III of Monaco gave to his future bride, her engagement ring was a Cartier masterpiece of elegance.
It had a 10.48 Carat emerald shaped diamond set in a classic, Art Deco inspired three stone setting, with the center stone flanked by two baguette side stones. The ring shows up occasionally in the movie High Society, the last movie she made before retiring to be princess of Monaco.
Emerald shapes are particularly popular these days among celebrities. Perhaps it's the edgy look? Or the particular way they shine so brilliantly and clear, as opposed to the incandescent sparkle of brilliant cuts like rounds.
Brangelina, one of the most iconic couples of the 2000’s, got engaged with an emerald shaped diamond. The art-deco inspired bespoke celebrity engagement ring reportedly cost upwards of $500,000, and in addition to the massive central stone, is flanked by a cascade of trapezoidal and baguette shaped diamonds that sparkle almost all the way around Angelina’s finger. Or at least they used to.
Mariah Carey also received an emerald shaped diamond ring when she got engaged to Australian Billionaire James Packer. He popped the question with the 35 carat diamond reportedly worth $10 million, and while in the divorce settlement Miriah was going to keep the ring, she later sold it to a Los Angeles Jeweler for a little over $2 million.
Three Stone Rings
Megan, the Duchess of Sussex received a celebrity engagement ring in the style of Grace Kelly’s ring. With a cushion shape center stone, this take on the three-stone design is a little less Art-deco than Grace Kelly’s. Yellow gold provides a classic platform exhibiting the cushion cut stone from Botswana and the two round diamonds that came from Harry’s mother Diana’s collection.
Another example of the three stone engagement ring was accepted by Amal Alamuddin from George Clooney in 2014. This 7 carat emerald shape diamond is set in platinum and flanked by two baguette diamonds.
Fancy shapes like trillions are getting more popular these days. Zoe Saldana’s unusual celebrity engagement ring is a very exciting take on the now almost ubiquitous three stone engagement ring. We aren’t sure if it's in platinum or white gold, but the gorgeous green pear shaped emerald that rests in the center is flanked by unique, trillion shaped diamonds and pave along the band. This remarkable display of varying colors, shapes and sizes of stones will no doubt continue in popularity as well.
Kim Kardashian, one of the modern socialite queens, has had, among her numerous engagement rings, some particularly magnificent pieces. Not least of which, is the 20 carat diamond engagement ring from Lorraine Schwartz that was stolen back in 2016. That ring was to replace the original 15 carat cushion cut diamond Kayne West used to propose in October of 2013.
More Unique Celebrity Engagement Rings
Beyond the number of stones or the shapes they are cut into, there are many other celebrity engagement ring features you should be aware of. Halos add luster and brilliance, metal detailing adds style and personality, and band placement and style can alter the effect of the ring tremendously. Here are a few examples of each of those.
Celebrity engagement rings come and go for some actresses, including Scarlett Johansson, whose many rings are as varied as the many roles she has played. Indeed, each one is quite as unique. Ryan Reynolds proposed with a twist on a classic, literally. His knee bend was accompanied by a solitaire set round diamond on a twisted gold band.
The French journalist Romain Dauriac took a less conventional approach, with a lot of vintage thrown in. He proposed with a stunning Art-Deco creation of three round diamonds, a bezel set in a white gold band, with rectangular geometric halos around the diamonds, sparkling with an intense display of pave.
The most recent ring, from SNL star Colin Jost, is not only a whopper of a ring but defied the two previous styles she’s worn in terms of its singularity. It’s an enormous, 11 carat light brown diamond of exceptional clarity and purity, a type IIa diamond in more or less an oval shape, though it's almost a pear shape since it's irregular.
Set on a black ceramic band it is truly a one of a kind piece, as finding a similar diamond in the world could be next to impossible, if not outrageously expensive.
Sophie Turner, the Game of Thrones star, was engaged to Joe Jonas with an unusual celebrity engagement ring that represents the modern chic of their Hollywood love story romance. After dating for several years, and before their secret wedding at the infamous Little White Wedding Chapel, officiated by an Elvis impersonator. Jonas proposed with a pear shaped diamond set unusually, but with striking beauty, between two pave covered bands, as if it is floating above her finger
Bringing vintage back in a more Edwardian than Art-Deco fashion, Jessica Biel’s celebrity engagement ring from now-husband Justin Timberlake is a glittering diamond wonderland in layers around her finger.
Dripping with pave on every possible surface not covered in other forms of remarkably intricate detailing, the main feature of this engagement ring, aside from its wearer, is certainly the large center cushion shaped diamond, which looms larger by advantage of the halos of pave. Not only is there a double halo of pave accents around the center stone, but also a hidden halo under the basket, metal scrollwork around the center halo, and two, halo set aquamarines that flank the center stone.
Bindi Irwin, daughter of Crocodile Hunter Stever Irwin, got engaged to Chandler Powell in 2009 with a ring made of Lab-grown diamonds and recycled rose gold, showcasing a twisted band with pave. Below is a similar ring we have produced at Michael Gabriels.
Creating a Sustainable Ring is Pretty Straightforward
When you want to make a sustainable engagement ring, you must first check whether the jeweler you work with uses sustainable materials and practices. Find out if their labor is in house or local, or if they outsource to far away places. Find out about their metal and precious gem sourcing to make sure they use sustainable and ethical materials.
If they use raw, mined materials, then investigate if they are sourcing from artisanal mines or industrial and if the mining labor practices there conform to your expectations. While artisanal mining is less environmentally disastrous than industrial mining, artisanal mines are often worked by child labor.
If they use lab-grown diamonds or recycled metal you are already a step ahead. Of course, plenty of recycled gold in the world comes from small recycling units in Asia where they use enormous amounts of energy and toxic chemicals.
Michael Gabriels sources our recycled metals from here in New York State, by a third party which had been audited for sustainability, uses less energy and is committed to reducing, reusing and recycling the chemicals necessary in their current process; and to developing a more efficient and environmentally friendly process over the coming years.
Once you have a jeweler who can sustainably and responsibly produce an ethical engagement ring, you can work with them to produce the piece you prefer. At Michael Gabriels, we make all of our jobs custom and bespoke so that we can eliminate waste and focus on what our clients really and truly want, and not just what they will settle for.
If your jeweler is up to it, bring the design or designs you found from celebrity engagement rings, and see if they are up to the challenge. At Michael Gabriels, we work with some of the best artisans and professional craftspeople in New York City. No job is too big or too small, and we are happy to replicate or customize a design inspired by celebrities’ engagement rings.
In fact, we already have created a few. Perhaps the next one will be yours.
If you are interested, please contact us and we will be happy to help you design and then create your sustainable celebrity inspired ring.