8 Australian creatives show us their engagement rings
Image via @kikalateefff/Instagram
Words by Ruby Staley
All loved up.
A symbol of enduring love and a promise of matrimony, engagement rings are often the sparklier and bolder big sister to the classic wedding band. But engagement rings can be subtle and understated – it all depends on what the love of your life thinks you’ll want to wear on your ring finger, every day.
Whether your partner designed it thoughtfully with you in mind, or you chose it yourself from one of your favourite local designers, an engagement ring is a lot more than a testament of love. It’s an expression of your own individual style.
For more style inspiration, head to our Fashion section.
I’m not engaged (nor do I plan to be), but to offer the to-be-betrothed some inspiration, I asked some of my favourite creatives to show me their engagement rings and tell me the stories behind them.
Annie Carroll, she/her, publicist and content creator
This is a perfect-cut diamond with two tapered baguettes on either side, set in 18-carat white gold. The diamond is .87 carats – I love that it’s the same year I was born. I wear it with my wedding band, which is a super fine 18-carat white gold band. I didn’t know my (now) husband was going to propose to me, which makes my engagement ring incredibly sentimental and precious.
He designed it with the help of a talented local jeweller, Michael Tink, drawing on art deco design cues to create something really timeless and beautiful. He proposed in the Boboli Gardens in Florence, and we spent the rest of the day walking through the back streets drinking prosecco, high on life. It remains the best day of my life – just me and him in our perfect little Italian bubble.
Odie Spinelli, they/them, writer and content creator
This ring is a custom from Millie Savage. I had it made to propose to my partner, Rinny. The centre stone is morganite, which represents healing love, and there are two diamonds on each side. We live in Minnesota in the USA but I knew no other jewellery could capture the one-of-a-kind beauty my fiancée deserves.
Though Rinny and I already discussed marriage and I knew she was ready, I wanted the proposal to be a surprise. Of course, she guessed I was proposing when I took her to get her nails done, but I lied my way out of it and successfully pulled off a surprise proposal. I was so happy to not just hear “Yes”, but to hear how obsessed she is with her ring. She is getting a custom-made [ring] for me from Millie as well.
Emily Hamilton, she/her, strategic designer
I found Ruby from Kannava Jewels on Instagram and fell in love with a really unique ring she created. I had some diamond earrings that I never wore and wanted to use somehow. The diamonds had been given to me by my gran, so they were really special. I have always loved parti sapphires because who doesn’t want to wear a party on their finger (sorry, bad joke).
Ruby was so amazing to work with and had so many good ideas. It took a little while to find the right stone with some green and blue colour through it, but the final one was worth the wait! I love that it’s somewhere in the middle between traditional and modern.
Hakika Lateef, she/her, online fashion creator
From the get-go, I always knew that if I were to ever get engaged a ring would be too much of a lifelong commitment to not have any say in what it looked like. I did let my fiancé have a go at surprising me but I somehow saw what his design looked like and I instantly suggested designing it together which I am very glad we did because it made it so much more memorable and fun!
I’ve always wanted a ring that would be timeless, something that would age with me and could be passed on. [I wanted it to be a] testament to my idea of commitment and love (it’s a forever thing). Art deco was a huge inspiration, the classic three stones representing past, present and future and emerald which has significant cultural and spiritual meaning for me – new beginnings, wisdom [and] patience, to name a few. We got it made at a boutique jeweller called Soklich and Co in South Perth!
Ali Whittle, she/her, content creator
My husband Angus proposed in August of 2019. At that point, we’d been together for six and a half years. We’d talked about getting married – I was a touch impatient about getting engaged but when he did propose it was a total surprise. It was a normal Thursday evening. We’d been to the gym together [and] watched The Bachelor… I was hanging out the washing in my pyjamas in our sunroom and listening to music. All of a sudden the music was off and he was on his knee, spitting out, “Will you marry me!!?” So cute. An immediate yes from me. Now, the ring. I’d sent him a bunch of pictures over the years (we all do it). The brief was a thin gold band, as big a diamond as you can go.
And the result is perfect. In June or July of 2019, he’d spoken to my now sister-in-law about getting a ring made. She has the most incredible jewellery collection and knows a lot about diamonds etc. She put him in touch with a contact of hers who’d made some pieces for her in the past and Angus set about getting the ring made. A few revisions later, and it arrived late Wednesday night… he proposed the next night, he couldn’t wait. I remember going to sleep the night of the engagement, waking every few hours just to stare at my hand. It’s a round brilliant cut diamond. It’s classic and beautiful and still makes me (and Angus) smile every time I look at it.
Meg Croydon, she/her, fashion student
My ring was made by Natalie Marie Jewellery. My fiancé was initially looking to use his grandmother’s gold from her wedding ring to recreate this style, however, there is a worldwide shortage of emerald cut stones (my preference) and instead, he chose this beauty that was already available! I’ve always loved emerald cut stones and fell in love with the design originally on a Tiffany & Co. diamond ring many years ago.
I’ve always lived by Holly Golightly’s voice of reason that diamonds are tacky on anyone under 40. So instead, the ring has a morganite precious stone in it which represents romance and an abundance of love. It’s a smoky pink colour and it’s stunning, I am obsessed! There’s actually a lot of angel number magic behind our engagement and relationship. Joe proposed to me on 11/11/22 which equals an eight. The day we started dating also equals an eight, and we’re in our eighth year of dating/togetherness! So I think that means our relationship’s angel numbers are 888.
Maya Nicolaisen, they/them, veterinary nurse
Photography by Art of Grace Weddings
Once I had proposed to my now-wife, she decided I needed an engagement ring of my own. She bought me a stunning yellow sapphire set in gold with white diamonds on the band – I loved it. While looking for a wedding band to match, I couldn’t quite find the right ring with the right amount of bling that was in our price range.
I looked all over to find the perfect wedding band and I knew exactly what I wanted. I am usually very particular. Then one day we were looking in Prouds Jewellers and I saw the sparkling diamond bridal set with a wedding band and a matching diamond engagement ring that I am now wearing today. It was on sale from $1799 down to $1000. Not many people can say they have two engagement rings from the one marriage but I don’t tend to do things traditionally anyway. Who says you can’t have two?
Elizabeth Maidment, she/her, content creator and digital specialist
So my ring (a pear diamond with eight surrounding diamonds) is actually the ultimate combo of both of our families. It was designed in Sydney by one of my fiancé’s family friends. He is a jewellery designer and has created many pieces for my in-laws, so we have some history there. The diamond in the centre (the pear) was bought from my family jeweller, who has also been involved in creating lots of my family’s jewellery/engagement rings. But, most importantly, the surrounding diamonds on the side are from my mum’s eternity ring from my dad, so that’s really special.
She gave the diamonds to Charlie (my fiancé) last year when he was designing the ring, so he could put them in there. It is absolutely beautiful, I always knew I wanted a pear diamond – Charlie did an excellent job! In heterosexual relationships, often the male doesn’t get an engagement ring, and I wanted to get something for Charlie to wear. I worked with Sofia in Sydney to design a signet ring, and it has both our birthstones on the side (a diamond, lucky me, and a peridot for Charlie). It was important for me to work with a small business, and she did a fantastic job. Eventually, when we have children, I want to add their birthstones, too.
To learn more about different types of engagement rings, head here.
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