RingSpotters

The Engagement Rings of Sex and the City

I'm one of those women who firmly believes that all of life's questions can be answered by an episode of Sex and the City. I love the show - the writing, the characters, the fashion and, of course, the jewelry and am kicking myself for waiting so long to write this post. Believe it or not, tracking down the story behind these rings was no easy task, so we here at RingSpotters are beyond excited to share with you the fabulous engagement rings of Sex and the City.

1. Charlotte's Tiffany Engagement Ring from Trey

In season 3, Charlotte and Trey's whirlwind romance led to Charlotte's accidental proposal after a month of dating, leaving her absolutely mortified. He later more than made up for it standing in front of a Tiffany & Co store window suggesting she look for the most "beautiful engagement ring they have".  She chooses a the classic Tiffany setting with a 2.17 carat round brilliant stone. 

2. Carrie's Engagement Ring(s) from Aidan

No, this is not the 'pear shaped diamond with a gold band' that Carrie found while snooping through his things, this is the gorgeous Harry Winston 3 carat square cut emerald ring that Aidan gave her in season 3. Clearly having doubts and feeling anxious about their relationship, Carrie decides to wear the ring around her neck because it's "closer to her heart", and the engagement ends shortly after.

 

3. Charlotte's Harry Winston Engagement Ring from Harry

We got a little teary eyed watching Harry propose to Charlotte after she sees him at a mixer and tearfully asks for his forgiveness. Her 5 carat emerald cut Harry Winston ring was patterned after one given to Elizabeth Taylor by Richard Burton in 1968 (pictured above, a 33 carat emerald cut diamond no less!).

 

4. Samantha's Flower Ring

This is neither an engagement ring nor is it from the TV series, but the flower ring that Samantha bids for, loses and eventually receives as a present from Smith in the first movie, is so beyond stunning, we couldn't help but include it. Created by Filipina jewelry designer Ramona M. Boucher of Bastion, the ring is worth approximately $50,000.

 

5. Carrie's Black Diamond Ring 

From the not so critically acclaimed Sex and the City 2 comes this 5 carat black diamond by designer Itay Malkin. Set in 18k white gold with 80 pave diamonds, Mr. Big gives Carrie this stunner at the end of the film. Why black? "Because you are not like anyone else" he says.

 

And remember, as Carrie wisely concludes in the show series finale,  “The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous." 

Ruby and Diamond Engagement Ring + Wedding Band

This ring emanates beauty, romance, and passion.  Not only are the rubies and diamonds so beautifully set together, but we also loved what our reader wrote us about her ring.  "I knew I had to find a special ring that would symbolize me and my husband's special union. I looked at a ton of rings, but wanted to find 'that one'. My husbands birthstone is ruby and mine diamond and I wanted to incorporate the two. Here is what I found. Hope you're inspired."  We are definitely inspired...and in love. 

Cut and Carat: Eighteen .1 carat round brilliant diamonds. The showcase stone is the ruby; weighing in at 2.00 cts. and equaling out to be 49 rubies total in the ring. The center ruby is oval and the pave rubies are round.

Jeweler: Levian

An Engagement Story: When my husband proposed I was in the shower. He came home and set a dozen red roses which surrounded one white rose on the bathroom counter. I pulled the shower curtain back and there he was smiling with a cute little letter that read "Will you marry me''. He didn't do the whole drop down on one knee thing, but I didn't care because I knew he loved me for sure. So I went to look at the roses and my ring was nestled in the middle of the white rose. It was beautiful!! I knew exactly what I wanted and he surprised me with the ring of my dreams.

 

Celebrity Engagement Ring: Jennifer Hudson

 

Ring Details: 5 carat round brilliant stone with micro pave double halo split shank setting, by Neil Lane

 

RingSpotters: A Bangkok Wedding

We just love hearing back from our RingSpotter brides.  Last June, we featured her stunning Hearts on Fire engagement ring, and today we have the photos from her January 8, 2011 Bangkok wedding. The ceremony took place at the Assumption Cathedral followed by a lavish, elegant reception at the Peninsula, Bangkok.  We love her eternity wedding band, the Mother of the Bride's ring, and the fact that the bride and groom used a sword to cut the cake. Wow!

Photography: Justin Element

RingSpotlight: Yael Designs

Today's RingSpotlight features the award-winning Yael Designs, a fine jewelry house with a well-earned reputation for quality craftsmanship and elegant jewelry. Founded in 2001 as a sustainability-conscious company, Yael uses recycled gold and conflict-free diamonds in all its fine jewelry and supports social and environmental organizations. Yael has created 12 fashion and bridal collections including black/white diamonds, engagement rings, tanzanite, spinning colored stones, fancy yellow diamonds and bridal accessories.

We love their innovative and expressive pieces and their commitment to environmentally conscious jewelry.

Round Brilliant Engagement Ring with Heart Shaped Prongs + Wedding Band

We are a couple of romantics here at RingSpotters and love the idea of taking one day to celebrate love, affection and romance. So today, for Valentine's Day, we have a spectacularly gorgeous and perfect ring. It's a ring that felt so natural on our bride's finger like it "totally just belonged there" from the moment it was slipped on.  Take a look, enjoy... and Happy Valentine's Day!

Cut: Round Brilliant

Setting: Platinum with heart shaped prongs

An Engagement Story:  My boyfriend picked me up to go to a friend's supposed celebration dinner.  We went to a restaurant - Yamashiro which sits on a hill with amazing views of LA.  While we were "waiting" for more guests to arrive, my boyfriend suggested we all go out and take pics while it was still light outside to enjoy the view.  I was telling friends to come with us, but he pulled me outside before I could convince anyone else to join us.  We walked down the steps and he pointed at something in the sky.  I thought to myself  "heh?  what's that?  I can't see...wait it's a banner being pulled by a plane!"  Then I saw my name even though I couldn't make out the rest of it.  "Wait...is that what I THINK it is?!?!?!?!"  When I turned to him, he was already getting down on his knee, pulling the ring out of his pocket...

 

Fancy Diamond Floral Engagement Ring

So perfectly amazing.  Today's ring makes our top ten list of unique engagement rings we've seen this year.  Made from a myriad of fancy colored diamonds, this ring belongs to a bride engaged about a year ago.  Her fancy white diamond center stone is surrounded by a delicate halo and enclosed in petals of fancy pink diamonds.  After working in the diamond industry for 11 years, she had no doubt that she would choose a fancy color diamond when she got engaged.  Whats not to like?

Setting: Flower with Fancy White Diamond as the center surrounded by natural Pink Diamonds. 

Jeweler: Seren Diamonds

About this ring:   Both the design and the fact that I have used fancy color diamonds is fairly unusual for an engagement ring, however, I have always been a sort of a pioneer and I love the fact that I have something so unique! Just as a side note: I actually debated between 2 different stones to use as a center stone – one being the Fancy White and the other Champagne or Cognac . These Champagne and Cognac diamonds are not expensive, but very unique.

Celebrity Engagement Ring: Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston's ultra unique engagement ring from Brad Pitt was co-designed by Pitt himself along with designer Silvia Damiani.

Ring Details: Round brilliant surrounded by a complex spiral of smaller diamonds made to resemble the shape of a heart and symbolize eternity. Created by Brad Pitt and Silvia Damiani, estimated cost: $500,000.

Love Your Rings: Giveaway Results

Thank you so much for making our first giveaway a success. We loved looking at the creative and gorgeous rings that you submitted and wanted to share a few of our favorites with you this morning. But first, our winner - congratulations to Auriette from Pensacola Florida!

On her ring... "He asked me what I wanted in a ring. I looked at some rings and...I preferred 6-prong to 4-prong, because it helps the diamond look rounder and silver settings detract less from the diamond.

On the proposal... "It was a few days before Christmas. The ring was on my mind, but I wouldn't ask him about it. We got to his house, and he pulled out the box....and the light went out. It was a pull-cord lamp and the cat tugged on it and turned it off! When I finally got to see it, I loved it.  It was just exactly what I wanted - a beautiful ring from my perfect love."

A beautiful ring it is indeed! Congratulations!

We enjoyed looking at the variety of rings that you shared with us and loved seeing the different uses of metals, stones and designs. We also learned that:

• Most of you continue to favor the simple and elegant solitaire diamond ring. They are classic and timeless.
• Tiffany's is still THE brand for engagement rings and wedding bands (we are obsessed with them too!)
• You LOVE color - from amethyst to black diamonds, color is in!
• For those of you favoring the vintage look, ArtDeco is the style of choice.

 
Row 1: Tacori, Fred Meyer Jewelers, Sylvie Collection 

Row 2: Encore by Le Vian, Krikawa, Ice.com

Row 3: Tiffany Legacy, Mavrik Fine Jewelry, Lang Antique and Estate Jewelry

 

Dear RingSpotters...

A few weeks ago, we received a plea for engagement ring "design inspiration" from a devoted reader. With all the fabulous ring settings to choose from, she asked for some guidance to help focus her. She keyed us in on a few things she was drawn to: 

1. Halo rings with either a split shank, double band or a double halo. 
2. Colored gems specifically red, purple, blue and yellow.
    
3. Something unique but classic and nothing too trendy.
   

She included this lovely three stone white and sapphire diamond ring as an example of a ring she loved.  We searched through our galleries, scoured the engagement ring world from celebrity jewelers to small boutiques, and played with various stones, settings and accompanying bands.  At the end, we came up with six looks that we think are ring-spiring.

1. Halo Setting with Split Shank: A round brilliant center stone paired with a halo split shank setting creates a feminine and elegant look without feeling too delicate. Depending on your taste, you can create a setting that has a more modern or antique style, as you can see below.  Because of the unique nature of the setting, you can select a traditional pave wedding band if you like some "air" in-between your engagement ring and band, but if you prefer something more fitted, consider a simple, curved wedding band. 

L-R  Neil Lane Jennifer Hudson's Round Brilliant in Pave Double Halo Setting, Knox Jewelers Round Halo Cielo with Full Bezel, Tiffany Elsa Peretti wedding band, Knox Jewelers Valencia Band

 

2.  Sapphire Accent Stones:  White diamonds accented with colorful baguettes and side stones are another great way to play with color. We also like the slight but not overwhelming detailing that these rings have giving them a unique flare. We love the idea of flanking this type of ring with two delicate eternity bands, or a single shared setting diamond band.

L-R  Tacori Dantela Collection 3 stone engagement ring with sapphire, Philip Press Sapphire Accent Diamond Ring, Tacori Dantela Collection Wedding Band, 

 

3. Yellow:  A colorful center stone flanked by white sidestones creates such a clean and classic look. However, you can work with the jeweler to mix the cuts and shapes of the diamonds for a unique style that speaks to you.  The catch? Fancy yellow diamonds are very pricey so we would recommend either a yellow sapphire which is a gorgeous gemstone or a canary yellow diamond in a halo setting, which will make the stone appear larger than it is.

L-R: Harry Winston Fancy Emerald Cut Yellow with Trapezoid Sidestones, KingofJewelry.com  Canary Yellow cushion cut diamond with micropave setting, Philip Press Yellow and Diamond Band

 

4. Double Stone: Modern and ultra-unique. Pair a white diamond with a gemstone for a dazzle of color. We adore aquamarine – it’s not something you see every day, but the blue and green hues are stunning. Add a round brilliant eternity ring to create a beautiful, sparkly set.

L-R Estrella del Norte 2 stone round brilliant , TIffany's Round Brilliant Shared Setting Wedding Band

 

5. Double Halo with Rubies:  The double halo surrounding the cushion cut ring creates a very modern and symmetrical look.  We recommend swapping out the ring's triple band for a single or double band (depending on how thick you want the ring to feel).  And, to add some color, pair it with two with ruby and diamond wedding bands.  We find this look to be very romantic and playful.

L-R: Double Halo Cushion Cut ; DiamondHarmony.com Ruby Stackable Ring 

 

6. Stacked Rings:  This is a non traditional choice, but we're somewhat obsessed with this look - forego the engagement ring and stack up to four rings of various styles and colors like the amazingly gorgeous Celebration collection from Tiffany's!  

L-R: Tiffany's Celebration Rings 

 

Whats your favorite look? Visit our Facebook page and Vote here!