Celebrity Engagement Rings: A Review

There have been a few high-profile engagements recently, and I’ve been keeping a professional eye out for the rings.

Prince Harry gets a round of applause for one of the best celebrity engagement rings I’ve seen in a while. I like its well-balanced proportions and somewhat unexpected use of 18K yellow gold.

The diamonds have special meaning for the couple. The center stone is from Botswana, where Harry and Meghan took their first trip together. The side stones were owned by Harry’s mother, the late Princess Diana. I do wish someone had reported whether Diana’s stones came from a pair of stud earrings — like the side stones I used in this custom engagement ring — or if they were taken out of a larger piece. Anyway, I love the sentiment.

Well done, Harry and royal jewelers Cleave and Company. Also, how cute are Harry and Meghan together?

I’m always in favor of a nontraditional engagement ring, so I’m dying of curiosity over the Gwyneth Paltrow received from television producer Brad Falchuk. There’s a colored gemstone in there … but her official photo is black and white so I don’t know what the stone is!

C’mon, Gwyneth, give us a good look! Inquiring minds want to know.

Colored gemstones for heiress Paris Hilton though? Nah. You know she wouldn’t settle for anything less than an a HUGE diamond, and actor Chris Zylka came through for her. The ring, designed by Michael Greene, boasts a 20-carat center stone, with another two carats in accent diamonds.

This is the kind of massive rock that gets on my nerves when I see it looming over a super-skinny shank (band), so I give props to the designer for going with a more substantial split shank.

Pear-cut diamonds like Paris’s have surged in popularity recently, after years of being seen as passé. Rapper Cardi B got a ring with an 8-carat pear-cut from fellow musician Offset, who proposed to her onstage in October.

The piece by Pristine Jewelers features pink accent diamonds, and I like the splash of color.

I haven’t noticed any marquise-cut diamonds among the celebrity engagement rings. That boat-shaped cut is due for a pear-style revival. I would love to work with one myself. I don’t think there’s any shape of center stone that’s wrong for an engagement ring at this point. It’s all about the right setting, and thoughtful settings happen to be one of my specialties. Thinking of getting a ring of your own? Holla at me at info at wendybrandes dot com, and we can talk about creating a one-of-a-kind ring that will wow everyone who sees it — with or without a 20-carat diamond in it!