You may have heard that emeralds are the new diamonds when it comes to engagement rings. If you haven’t heard it, we’re telling you now: emeralds are the new diamonds! Engagement rings – like most other material items – go through phases of what’s popular and what’s not. While rose gold and sapphires are just about reaching the door on their way out of popularity, yellow gold and emeralds are gearing up to take the stage and head down the runway.
So, before we move on to some famous faces with emerald engagement rings, let’s have a brief look at the meaning of emeralds.
The Meaning of Emeralds
Emeralds may not be as popular as diamond engagement rings, but they come in a variety of green colours. There are very dark, rich emeralds which recall imagery of exotic jungles, and then there are brighter greens more comparable to a gorgeous garden of luscious grass. Green is the most commonly-occurring colour in nature, and so it is no surprise that green things – like emeralds – are often associated with nature.
Emeralds as a gemstone are linked to peace, balance, and growth. It makes sense that they’re becoming a popular choice for engagement rings, since the engagement ring is given as a symbol that the two members of the couple are growing together, hoping to attain peace and balance in all aspects of their newly-conjoined life.
In Ancient cultures like Roman and Greek civilisations, emeralds were linked to Venus, the goddess of love. Incas and Egyptians saw emeralds as a totem of eternal life. An eternal life might not be what most people want, but an engagement ring is in many ways a symbol of eternal life in itself, since the ring is likely to outlast either member of the marriage, but it served as a physical embodiment of their dedication to one another.
Speaking of symbols of dedication to others, let’s take a look at some celebrity engagement rings.
Celebrities with Emerald Engagement Rings
Victoria Beckham
Mrs Beckham is something of a misnomer for this list, as when she got engaged to David Beckham in 1999, it was with a 3 carat, marquise-cut diamond ring. Over the years, however, Victoria has accumulated no fewer than 14 engagement rings. Now, calling them engagement rings is something of an overstatement, it’s more like she has 14 bodacious rings that she wears on her ring finger, making it appear as though they are engagement rings. Eight years into her marriage, however, Victoria wore an enormous cushion-cut emerald ring with a diamond halo that could easily have blinded someone if she wasn’t careful.
Olivia Wilde
When Jason Sudeikis proposed to Olivia Wilde in 2013, he did so in style. A brilliant-cut round diamond was set with a halo of collet set emeralds, creating a wonderfully unique engagement ring perfectly suited to Wilde’s sense of taste. The ring was like nothing else you would find on the high-street; a true one-of-a-kind that can only be pulled off by someone like Wilde. Great choice and design equal a very successful proposal.
Halle Berry
When Halle Berry got engaged to Eric Benét, she was the hottest thing in Hollywood. It makes sense, then, that a custom gold ring was made by renowned French jeweller, Robert Mazio. To top off the ring, a square-cut emerald was set at the centre of the ring, totalling 4 carats – a huge size for an emerald engagement ring. Another element of romance is added to the ring when one considers the rumours that the emerald contains codes in an ancient Phoenician language that tell the story of how the two fell in love.
Jackie O
Timeless fashion icon, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, first got engaged to future-president, John F. Kennedy, in 1953. Her engagement ring is every bit as timeless as the woman herself. A twist design sees a 2 carat diamond sat alongside a 2 carat emerald, with baguette-cut diamonds accenting the band. Designed by Van Cleef & Arpels, the ring is entirely unique, costing Mr. Kennedy more than 1 million dollars, apparently.
Queen Victoria
As we’ve established, styles with engagement rings come and go, so you shouldn’t be shocked to see Queen Victoria on this list. Perhaps the originator of the style of emerald engagement rings way back in 1840. Victoria’s engagement ring was a yellow gold affair in the form of a snake, with ruby eyes and an emerald atop its head. Antique emerald engagement rings are enduringly popular, both for their beauty and their uniqueness, and Victoria’s engagement ring is no different.
No further proof is needed to confirm what’s been established here: emeralds are the epitome of engagement ring fashion, now and forever! Well, maybe not forever, but now and for a long time to come, by the looks of things.
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