When Your Diamond’s No Longer Your Best Friend
Mar 3rd, 2011
by Alexis Novak
There comes a time in every woman’s life when you look down at your left ring finger and your ring no longer looks like you anymore. Now if you are one of those sweet and silly sentimentalists who believe your love really lives in your original engagement ring then you should stop reading here and pick up a romance novel.
The rest of us cold-hearted realists know that your old ring is merely a symbol and you are still married after all these years so maybe the time’s right to celebrate your love with a trade-up. Oops, I mean a redesign. At least this is what I am currently thinking as we skip toward nine married years next month.
Amidst my obsessive ring research I’ve discovered the personalities of diamond shapes and am teaching myself all I ever wanted to know about baguettes, split shanks, half bezels, milgrain and micropave. Here’s what the diamonds are saying to me.
First stop, we need to chat about the Solitaire. She is the classic beauty. 3 out of 4 engagement rings sold hold this brilliant stone. Timeless and elegant, she is also the most expensive. My hubs picked out my Tiffany-style solitaire with pave band over ten years ago. It’s beautiful. But while she is a safe choice style-wise my fiercely high six-prong setting scratches important things like cars and babies so I hardly ever wear her anymore. (Damn those mean old lady looks I get while pregnant walking around the grocery store!) I love the shimmer of the solitaire. She is a sure lady-like thing that you could never tire of. She is all horseback-riding lessons, Connecticut and Jackie O., while the Pear is her glamour-puss-bad-ass little sister.
One of my favorite pears is actress Katherine Heigl’s sublime 3-carat engagement ring,
very Marilyn Monroe in her white robe blowing kisses from the balcony. Heigl’s ring sports a rose gold halo around the stone, giving it an antique feel. The pear makes a rebellious statement I dig. Some women are cool with asymmetrical shapes like pears and marquises, others wouldn’t dream of it. It is good to remember though that since solitaires and princess cuts are most popular you could get a larger asymmetrical one for less, and if you are being honest ladies Big is always better.
Gorgeous and curvy Ovals and Cushion-cuts are coming back too, thanks in part to the estate ring that Katie Holmes rocks and the many celebs also buying vintage bridal jewels that favor these shapes. Rebecca Romijm’s beautiful canary yellow oval with a split shank gives the same retro feel, while making fingers appear long and skinny. You could buy actual vintage or look for antique reproductions that will be easier to repair and less delicate knocking around on your finger all day. Or if you are a supremely damned lucky gal, you inherited an amazing family ring that just needs some updating.
The more rings I look at the more school girl giddy I get pretending to be their owner. I am easily seduced by the sparkle. I envision myself in many different styles and stones. I like modern and vintage. Cushions and pears. Art Deco bezels, semi-mounts and hand-carved Edwardian cages. Side stones and halos and mixed metals, oh my!
If only I had fellow Pisces Elizabeth Taylor’s budget I would surely have a collection to rival hers. Today I will keep researching, riding my jewel journey buzz, not wanting it to end with a decision. As Liz well knows after seven husbands, the hunt is much more fun than the kill.
*Along with being a regular H&H contributor you can also follow Alexis at Damn Scribbling Mommy*
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