Taylor Swift’s engagement ring marks a return to vintage elegance

In her 2008 classic song Love Story, Taylor Swift fantasized about getting proposed to: “He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring / And said, ‘Marry me, Juliet.’”

Seventeen years later, Swift, 35, finally had her fairy-tale engagement. Football player Travis Kelce, also 35, proposed with what appears to be an elongated, old mine cushion cut diamond set on a yellow gold band. (A cushion cut diamond has rounded corners.)

The ring was designed by Kindred Lubeck of Artifex Fine Jewelry in New York. Lubeck makes hand-engraved jewellery with natural gemstones.

“It’s not just a flashy piece, but more of an aesthetic, really beautiful diamond,” said Marion Fasel, a jewellery historian and author of The History of Diamond Engagement Rings: A True Romance. Her friends in the jewellery world, she said, have been excited about the piece because of its high quality.

“You can tell this is a beautiful diamond from the light and faceting arrangement,” Ms Fasel said, estimating the weight to be around 7 carats.

“It’s a real trend in jewellery and diamonds and engagement rings to choose antique stones because they have a very different kind of light,” Ms Fasel said. “Even though this is a giant diamond, it’s a much softer light.”

Many celebrities have sported giant rings this summer, including Georgina Rodríguez, who got engaged to Cristiano Ronaldo in August; Chioma Rowland, who was married to Afrobeats star Davido in August; and Lauren Sánchez Bezos at her wedding to Jeff Bezos in June.

But the size of Swift’s rock came as a bit of a surprise to Ms Fasel. “I thought she would have a stone we could see, because she’s a showgirl,” Ms Fasel said. “But not something quite this big.”

But, Ms Fasel said, the ring is not out of scale: “It’s in proportion to her hand. She has long fingers, and it goes up the finger beautifully. It’s large, but it’s not so large that it’s vulgar.”

There also appears to be engraving on the side, as well as two smaller diamonds. “They must mean something, because everything with Taylor means something,” Fasel said.

Ann Grimmett, vice president for merchandising at Jared Jewelers, estimated that the diamond was 7 to 9 carats, costing anywhere from $US250,000 ($384,000) to $US500,000.

“Taylor Swift’s ring has an heirloom look that is both romantic and dreamy,” Ms Grimmett said.

Nilesh Rakholia, founder of Abelini Jewellery, a modern British jewellery brand, estimated that the ring weighs 7 to 10 carats, costing between $US1 million and $US1.3 million.

“What makes this design particularly striking is its blend of vintage charm and modern minimalism,” Mr Rakholia said. “The choice of yellow gold has been making a huge resurgence in fine jewellery, loved for its warmth and ability to enhance the brilliance of white diamonds.”

Jason Arasheben, founder of the jewellery company Jason of Beverly Hills, said that he anticipates an uptick in requests for elongated, old mine cushion cut diamonds, as well as thicker bands and antique aesthetics. “I know I’m going to get tonnes of screenshots from clients,” Mr Arasheben said, citing the Taylor Swift effect.

Ms Fasel doesn’t expect too many details about the ring to be confirmed by Swift soon. “With my history in celebrity engagement rings, no one says anything,” she said.

Much of the jewellery worn by celebrities tends to come from professional relationships with major brands. Swift, for instance, has almost exclusively worn Cartier and Lorraine Schwartz pieces for red carpets. But an engagement ring, Ms Fasel said, is different: It’s the “one thing that is not branded, and I feel that’s part of the reason the excitement around an engagement ring has accelerated to such a high level.”

“It is the last really personal symbol between a couple and the union,” Ms Fasel said. Unlike red carpet jewellery, where every detail is tied to a brand, “This is personal — this is real.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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