Celebrity Engagement & Wedding Rings
As soon as a celebrity couple is identified we all start watching her finger to see when the engagement ring will appear. Usually this is not hard to miss because it will be so large and noticeable that you simply cannot miss it! Celebrities seem to downplay their romantic relationships by not confirming who they are dating, not showing up on the red carpet with their significant others, and then seemingly out of nowhere she shows up with a 5 carat ring on her finger! Of course, not every celebrity couple is this way, but a good deal of them love to flaunt their engagement, love, and yes money, with a huge diamond that most of us could never imagine being able to afford!
It may be that celebrities feel that they have to do everything big, so why not do the engagement ring big, as well. Every girl loves diamonds, so the assumption is that the bigger the better. No one will ever forget when Michael Douglas proposed to his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, not only because they make a handsome couple but because of the 10 carat ring that was mounted on the engagement ring he offered her. Of course, the 10 carat ring wasn't the end of the big announcement of love, the two later had a $10 million dollar wedding! Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones are not the only couple that has displayed large diamonds and a large wedding; they are just a great example of where Hollywood is going with their jewelry!
Another trend right now among celebrities is three diamonds on the ring instead of just one. Of course, three diamond rings are quite popular with everyone in the world, but celebrities can simply do them bigger and better than everyone else. Three diamonds usually represent the past, the present, and the future, so it's a very sentimental basis for the three stones; it's not all about showing off the ring! One of the first celebrity couples to use a three stone diamond engagement ring was Madonna and Guy Ritchie. Ritchie had a one of a kind ring made for Madonna that held three round Edwardian diamonds with diamond details and accents throughout a beautiful platinum band.
Sharon Stone and her husband Phil Bronstein also went the three stone route. While Sharon Stone has three diamonds like Madonna, hers is much different. Sharon's has three emerald cut diamonds which was given to her in celebration of the adoption of her son as well as an anniversary present. Again, the past, present, future symbolism is great here even though the three diamond ring wasn't given to her on the actual day of her wedding, as was the case of Madonna and Guy Ritchie.
Toni Braxton and Keri Russel made up their own version of the three stone rings that are very popular right now. Toni wears a beautiful ring that contains one oval shaped center stone and two heart shaped stones on the side. The ring is different, the stones are large, but it is unique to this couple. While the ring is big and supposedly better, at least the couple did something unique to make it their own. Setting the rings like this make them seem more meaningful and not so generic, since every engaged Hollywood celebrity seems to be showing off at least 3 carats on her ring finger.
Some of the most noteworthy engagement have not only been big, but have been beautiful and unique. No one will ever forget the Harry Winston six carat pink diamond that Jennifer Lopez was given when engaged to Ben. The ring was beautiful, it stood out, but it didn't feel like it was too big. The ring was a testament to the fact that a big, beautiful, rare diamond can be worn with class. Too bad the relationship between Jen and Ben didn't last, because that ring was so gorgeous it should have been worn for a long, long time.
Nicole Richie Engagement Ring
Of course, Jennifer Lopez hasn't been the only gal in Hollywood that has been given a truly big, beautiful, and unique ring. In fact, another famous Jennifer was given a ring that was specially made just for her. When Brad Pitt asked Jennifer Anniston to marry him, he designed an Aside band in white gold with 18 carats of diamonds in it. Brad Pitt was also known for the ring that he designed for Gwyneth Paltrow, as it not only had diamonds on the topside, but on the underside of the band as well. These rings weren't as big as they were detailed, simply beautiful and tailor made for the women who wore them.
Another trend right now among celebrities is to use something other than diamonds. For instance, when Mena Suvari got married, she decided to use her birthstone instead of the typical diamonds. She has amethysts and citrines set into a gold band. While the ring is not traditional, it suites her and her style very well. It's always nice to see a celebrity do something different than what may be most popular in Hollywood at that moment.
Engraving is also a huge Hollywood trend. For instance Courtney Cox and David Arquette have a private saying engraved on the inside of their wedding bands. Apparently Cameron Diaz has an engagement ring in the works that will simply have Justin Timberlake's initials engraved into a plain gold band. So, while much of Hollywood is going bigger and better, some celebrities are going for more subtle displays of love and commitment. Which is better? Neither of course, it's all personal style and taste, and there is enough of both in Hollywood to go around!
The fact of the matter is that celebrities can go to jewelry designers such as Harry Winston and have beautiful engagement and wedding bands made, so why not get exactly what they want? One celebrity may choose a huge diamond while another may choose and engraved gold or platinum band, and what's wrong with that? While celebrity engagement and wedding rings can serve as inspiration for our own, it's important to remember that it's not just the ring, but what it symbolizes that is important.
