Taylor Swift has announced her engagement to Travis Kelce, revealing a series of images on Instagram, including a glimpse of the engagement ring.
The social media post was captioned: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”
However, not every English teacher can boast a diamond ring with a valuation reaching six or even seven figures.
Fans and onlookers alike have shared their opinions on the proposal and the dazzling ring.
Kelce reportedly collaborated with a jeweler to design the ring, with its vintage-inspired aesthetic seemingly aligning with Swift’s newly announced album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Industry experts estimate its value could range from £500,000 to £4 million, according to Ruth Faulkner, Managing Editor of Retail Jeweller magazine.
The diamond appears to be an 8-10 carat vintage stone, which Faulkner notes is “quite rare” for an antique piece.
Jewelry journalist Rachael Taylor suggests the stone’s softer sparkle is likely due to its antique cut, crafted by hand rather than by machine.
Taylor adds that Swift’s ring taps into a trend favoring vintage styles with unique cuts and oversized stones, complementing the singer’s “romantic” aesthetic.
“Whenever a celebrity gets engaged, if their ring is particularly standout, it’s always going to spark a bit of interest in that,” Faulkner stated.
General trends indicate a move towards larger stones, both for celebrities and the public. However, stars are increasingly opting for statement pieces to distinguish themselves, Rhona Fitzpatrick, Founder and CEO of the Diamond Expert, told BBC News.
Rings recently spotted on celebrities, such as Zendaya’s horizontally set diamond and Dua Lipa’s round diamond on a chunky gold band, demonstrate a preference for larger stones in less conventional settings.
Even when celebrities adhere to trends like large, oval diamonds, they tend to do so extravagantly, making replication difficult.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s partner, Georgina Rodríguez, garnered attention when she shared a photo of her ring earlier this month.
Fitzpatrick estimates the massive, oval-cut stone to be worth up to $5 million (£3.7 million).
“It’s not the kind of ring you’d be popping to Tesco with,” she quipped.
Following Rodríguez’s announcement, some bridal jewelry suppliers began introducing their interpretations of the ring.
“It’s a lot harder for everyday people to afford the same price tag,” Fitzpatrick noted, adding that some jewelers are utilizing more affordable, lab-grown diamonds to cater to a wider range of styles.
This alternative has gained popularity, with Fitzpatrick stating that approximately 52% of the world’s engagement rings now feature lab-grown diamonds.
Some customers are also choosing lab-grown diamonds for ethical reasons, but Taylor cautions that the debate is more nuanced than it appears.
Lab-grown diamonds are not automatically more sustainable than naturally mined stones, as the process consumes significant energy.
Taylor highlights that certain communities depend financially on the diamond industry for their survival. However, concerns persist regarding working conditions in diamond mines.
“As long as you are buying from a reliable source that’s cleaning up the environment and looking after the communities involved,” Taylor advises, “you have to decide, what’s more important to you?”
She adds that the ethics surrounding antique diamonds, such as Swift’s, are also complex.
“Vintage can be more of an ethical choice, but its origin and story you don’t necessarily know,” Taylor explains.
While buying antique diamonds avoids additional mining, you also “have no idea what circumstances that was mined in,” she elaborates.
“If we’re talking 100 plus years ago, that circumstance was probably not very nice.”
Shoppers are increasingly repurposing vintage pieces to create more bespoke designs, Faulkner observes.
Couples often choose to reuse jewelry with a “story behind it,” she says, such as pieces passed down from relatives.
While the backstory of Swift’s ring remains unknown, she is evidently pleased with her choice. But if her lyrics offer any indication, it’s not the paramount consideration.
“I like shiny things, but I’d marry you with paper rings,” she sings in her song, “Paper Rings.”
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