RingSpotters

Celebrity Engagement Ring: Ashlee Simpson

Ring Details: Ashlee Simpson Wentz's 4 Carat Asscher Cut diamond by Neil Lane. Estimated cost: $150,000

 

Celebrity Engagement Ring: Heidi Klum

Heidi Klum sports a gorgeous yellow diamond, also called a Canary diamond, which is the most popular of the fancy colored diamonds (yes, fancy is a word commonly associated with colored diamonds). With white diamonds, we tend to focus on cut and clarity as a measure of the stone's brilliance, but Fancy or Colored diamonds are all about the hue!

About the ring: Fancy yellow oval cushion cut 10 carat diamond set in a thin band of small yellow pave diamonds. Estimated to be worth over $150,000.

 

Celebrity Engagement Ring: Mariah Carey

 

Ring Details: Mariah Carey's engagement ring from Nick Canon is a 17 Carat square emerald-cut pink center diamond, surrounded by 58 intense pink diamonds and two half-moon diamonds on each side. Estimated cos: $2.5 million

Jeweler: Jacob & Co

Vintage, Antique, and Estate Rings

Its very easy to get confused with ring jargon - especially when it comes to the difference between vintage, antique, and estate rings. Here's the lowdown...who knew?

- A "vintage" ring can mean different things to different jewelers. Some use it as a a catch-all term meaning "an old ring", while others use it to mean a ring that was made to look like it was from another era.
-An "estate" ring is anything less than 50 years old 
-An "antique" ring specifically refers to one over 50 years old.  

• Victorian Antique Rings (1835-1900):  Often set in yellow or rose gold, Victorian antiques have both simple elegant designs to very intricate ones. Many Victorian settings feature rows of diamonds, cut with an extra facet on the bottom (Called "mine cut"). 
• Edwardian Antique Rings (1900-1920):   Platinum became popular! Rings often had lacy and pierced shapes, milgraining, scrollwork, and filigree detail (details that suggests a lace pattern) on the mountings. Rose-cut diamonds and brilliant sapphires became popular.
• Art Deco  (1920-1930): Characterized by colorful, contrasting gemstones, geometric designs, and platinum, diamond packed rings for a glittering streamlined look (think Chrysler Building).   Art Deco rings are currently the most popular antique engagement rings for newly engaged couples.

Here's a look at Madonna's engagement ring to Guy Ritchie...an Edwardian style "vintage".

Cut: Round Brilliant

Carat: 5 carat

Setting: 3 stone Edwardian style vintage ring with milgrain detail

Jeweler: Neil Lane

About this ring: Madonna was one of the first celebrities to wear a three stone engagement ring. Ritchie had this one of a kind ring made especially for her.

Emerald and Diamond Engagement Ring

Keeping in the spirit with St. Patty's Day festivities, today we feature a famous emerald and diamond ring - the ring of the memorable Jackie Kennedy. The world first caught a glimpse of this ring on June 4, 1953 when JFK proposed...and from the moment she slipped it on, emeralds became the most popular choice of engagement rings in mid 1950's. At the time, the design of the ring was considered very modern, but like everything she did, she did with a flawless sense of style.

Cut: Square cut diamond (princess, emerald, or radiant) and emerald cut emerald

Carat: one 2.88 carat diamond next to a 2.84 carat cut emerald with tapered baguettes.

Jeweler: Van Cleef & Arpels

About this ring: JFK's father, Joe Kennedy Sr., picked this ring out for Jackie. In 1962, the ring was reset to include 0.66 total carat weight of round diamonds and 1.46 total carat weight of marquise diamonds.

Stay tuned...we have lots of green goodies for St. Patrick's Day!

The Round Brilliant Diamond

Round brilliant diamonds will catch your eye from across the room. They will dazzle in the sunlight like no other cut. And they definitely look bigger for their carat size than other diamond cuts. It's no surprise then that round brilliant diamonds are the most popular cut because of their shine, but also...

1. Round brilliant diamonds are cut into 56-58 facets
2. Round brilliant diamonds are also referred to as the "diamond" cut or the "ideal" cut because of its attempt to cut the diamond into the best proportion to achieve the maximum amount of brilliance.
3. This cut resembles that of a cone and is meant to maximize the light reflected through the top of the diamond.
4. The round brilliant cut was developed in 1919 by Marcel Tolkowsky, an engineer whose family was in the diamond cutting business. 5. 75% of diamond sales today are round brilliant cuts.

Here's a look at Carrie Underwood's rock...a stunning canary yellow diamond with the round brilliant cut.

Cut: Round brilliant yellow diamond 

Carat: 5 carat center stone, more than 12 carats total 

Setting: halo with micro pave

About this ring: experts estimate it to cost well over $150,000

 

5 Things You Didn't Know About Sapphires

Sapphires are one of the most popular jewelry stones and we loved our last ring post so much that we decided to feature more sapphire rings this week.

1. While we typically think of sapphires as blue, they actually come in a variety of colors except for red, in which case would be a ruby. 

2. A rare orange-pink variety, known as padparadschah, is even more valued than blue sapphire 

3. Sapphires weigh more than diamonds, so a sapphire and a diamond of the same carat size will visually look different.

4. Sapphires are the birthstone for September, and are recommended for 5th and 45th wedding anniversaries. 

5. Prince Charles gave Lady Diana a sapphire engagement ring.

Cut: Oval blue sapphire

 

Carat: 18 carat sapphire 

Setting: Sapphire surrounded by 16 small diamonds in a cluster setting 

Jeweler: Garrard Jewelers, London 

About this ring: It was chosen from the regular Garrard catalog and therefore could be purchased by anyone, for the price of 28,000 British pounds, or the equivalent of $65,000 (at 1981 exchange rates).