A handful of engagement rings have done more than mark a proposal. They’ve changed what people ask for at the jeweller decades later.
Some are famous for sheer size. Others stand out for the stone, the setting, or the story behind them. Princess Diana’s sapphire changed how many people think about coloured-gemstone engagement rings. Grace Kelly’s Cartier diamond helped cement an emerald-cut style that still looks current 70 years on. More recent rings worn by Zendaya, Hailey Bieber and Lady Gaga show familiar diamond shapes being reworked in new ways.
Here are 12 of the most famous celebrity and royal engagement rings, and what they can teach you about designing your own.
1. Princess Diana: The Sapphire Cluster Ring
Centre stone: Ceylon sapphire Cut: Oval Carat: 12 carats Setting: Diamond cluster Jeweller: Garrard Originally worn by: Diana, Princess of Wales Year: 1981
Few engagement rings are as instantly recognisable as this one.
When Diana became engaged to Prince Charles in 1981, she chose a Garrard ring built around a 12-carat oval Ceylon sapphire, surrounded by fourteen solitaire diamonds set in 18-carat white gold. Prince William later proposed to Catherine Middleton with the same ring in 2010.
What makes it iconic: colour, first and foremost. The deep blue sapphire dominates the ring while the diamonds form a bright border around it. The oval shape gives the large stone length without making the ring feel square or heavy, and the diamond cluster follows the outline of the sapphire closely enough that the whole thing reads as one shape rather than a stone-plus-halo.
There’s a broader design lesson here too: a halo or cluster can make a centre stone look far larger than its carat weight alone would suggest. The white diamonds simply make the blue look bluer.
Diana’s ring put sapphire engagement rings in front of an enormous audience, and its second life on Catherine’s hand introduced the design to a new generation. Garrard still produces sapphire cluster jewellery inspired by it.
Take inspiration from Princess Diana’s ring: the proportions scale down easily — an oval sapphire of a more modest size, surrounded by diamonds, gets you the same contrast between rich blue and white. The same logic works with other coloured gemstones too; what matters is the relationship between the centre stone, the diamonds around it, and the width of the finished ring.
2. Grace Kelly: The 10.48-Carat Cartier Diamond Ring
Centre stone: Diamond Cut: Emerald cut Carat: 10.48 carats Setting: Three stone with baguette side diamonds Jeweller: Cartier Given by: Prince Rainier III of Monaco Year: 1956
This wasn’t actually Grace Kelly’s first engagement ring. Prince Rainier III initially proposed with a Cartier eternity band set with diamonds and rubies — the colours of Monaco — before commissioning the diamond ring she later became known for: a 10.48-carat emerald-cut diamond flanked by baguettes. She wore it in her final film, High Society.
An emerald-cut diamond behaves very differently to a brilliant-cut one. Its long, step-cut facets throw broad flashes of light rather than scattered sparkle, and the large open table gives a clear view straight into the stone. That transparency means symmetry, proportion and clarity carry more visual weight than they would in a round brilliant.
Grace Kelly’s setting stays deliberately restrained. Two baguettes sit alongside the centre stone, echoing its straight lines instead of competing with them — a large ring built on remarkably simple geometry.
The pairing of emerald-cut centre stone, baguette side stones and platinum has been repeated many times since, and this ring is often cited as a direct influence on later emerald-cut rings, including Beyoncé’s and Amal Clooney’s.
Take inspiration from Grace Kelly’s engagement ring: this design suits smaller diamonds particularly well, because its character comes from proportion rather than size. A 1, 1.5 or 2-carat emerald-cut stone with well-proportioned baguettes captures the same long, clean lines. Worth knowing: two emerald cuts of identical carat weight can look quite different face-up, so it pays to look closely at the individual stone’s length-to-width ratio rather than the certificate alone.
3. Jacqueline Kennedy: The Emerald and Diamond Toi et Moi Ring
Centre stones: Emerald and diamond Cuts: Emerald cut Carat: 2.84-carat emerald and 2.88-carat diamond Setting: Toi et moi Jeweller: Van Cleef & Arpels Given by: John F. Kennedy Year: 1953
This ring skips the single-centre-stone format entirely. The original Van Cleef & Arpels design set a 2.84-carat emerald beside a 2.88-carat diamond, with tapered baguettes running along the shank. The style is known as toi et moi — “you and me.”
The two stones are close enough in size that neither reads as an accent. The emerald carries saturated green, the diamond brings sharp, clear contrast, and their matching emerald cuts tie the two together visually despite the very different colours. Jackie later had the baguettes swapped for marquise and round diamonds, in 1962, while keeping the original emerald-and-diamond pairing.
Toi et moi rings go back further than this piece, but Jackie’s remains one of the best-known examples — and the format hands a designer enormous freedom, since the two stones can differ in colour, cut, size, even gemstone type, and still work as one design.
Taking inspiration from Jackie’s Toi et Moi ring: a strong choice for anyone drawn to both diamonds and coloured stones. Emerald-and-diamond is the obvious pairing, but sapphire-and-diamond works just as well, or two diamonds cut differently — a pear next to an emerald cut, say. The real work is in the proportions and positioning; a toi et moi ring needs to look balanced across the whole hand, not just up close.
4. Beyoncé: The 18-Carat Emerald-Cut Diamond Ring
Centre stone: Diamond Cut: Emerald cut Carat: Approximately 18 carats Setting: Split-shank diamond setting Jeweller: Lorraine Schwartz Given by: Jay-Z Year: 2008
Designed by Lorraine Schwartz, this ring puts an emerald-cut diamond — generally reported around 18 carats — on top of a diamond-covered split shank.
The stone’s straight sides and cropped corners keep a very large face-up area looking crisp rather than sprawling. The split shank does the real work of updating the look: instead of resting a huge diamond on one narrow band, the shoulders divide as they approach the centre stone, adding width beneath it so the setting feels proportionate to what it’s holding.
Set this next to Grace Kelly’s ring and you can see how differently the same basic cut can read depending on what surrounds it.
Taking inspiration from Beyoncé’s ring: a split shank works at far more everyday carat weights. If you like an emerald-cut centre but want more going on around it, diamond-set shoulders add light and detail while keeping that strong rectangular outline intact.
5. Jennifer Lopez: The 8.5-Carat Green Diamond Ring
Centre stone: Natural green diamond Cut: Cushion cut Carat: 8.5 carats Setting: Three stone Designer: Rahaminov Diamonds Given by: Ben Affleck Year: 2022
Jennifer Lopez has worn several notable rings over the years, including the 6.10-carat pink diamond Ben Affleck gave her during their first engagement. When they got engaged again in 2022, he went with a different coloured diamond: an 8.5-carat natural green cushion cut, set in platinum between two trapezoid white diamonds.
Natural green is an exceptionally rare diamond colour, so the centre stone carries almost the entire design on its own. The white trapezoids frame it without adding a second colour, and their angular shape tapers the ring gradually from the broad cushion cut down to the narrower band. The green here is fairly pale — nothing like the strong colour of an emerald — which says something about how much range exists within “coloured diamonds”.
Green also has personal meaning for Lopez, who’s described it as her lucky colour. This ring also helped push natural green diamonds into more mainstream conversation.
Taking inspiration from Jennifer’s ring: a coloured centre stone can make a ring distinctive without leaning on size at all. Sapphires and other gemstones can achieve a similar effect in different shades. And the three-stone format itself is flexible — a coloured centre between two white diamonds gives the eye a clear focal point while keeping the whole thing balanced.
6. Blake Lively: The Oval Pink Diamond Ring
Centre stone: Pink diamond Cut: Oval Carat: Approximately 12 carats Setting: Diamond-set band with rose gold detailing Jeweller: Lorraine Schwartz Given by: Ryan Reynolds Year: 2012
Blake Lively’s ring, also by Lorraine Schwartz, centres on a roughly 12-carat oval pink diamond set on a fine diamond band with rose gold detailing.
The contrast in scale is what makes it: a large oval stone against a delicate band. Ovals already have an outsized face-up appearance for their weight, since the length spreads across more of the finger, and their brilliant-style faceting throws far more sparkle than a step-cut stone would. The rose gold ties in nicely, carrying the warmth of the pink diamond down into the metal.
Oval diamonds have become one of the defining shapes of the last decade or so — the elongated outline makes the stone look larger across the finger, and the rounded ends soften it compared with a rectangular cut.
Taking inspiration from Blake’s engagement ring: it’s the proportion that travels best here. An oval centre stone on a fine band works across a huge range of carat weights. When comparing ovals, check the length-to-width ratio, the symmetry, and the bow-tie effect through the middle of the stone — small differences there change the whole look. A warmer metal tone can shift the character of a ring just as much as the stone choice does.
7. Amal Clooney: The Emerald-Cut Three-Stone Ring
Centre stone: Diamond Cut: Emerald cut Carat: Approximately 7 carats Setting: Three stone Side stones: Tapered baguette diamonds Given by: George Clooney Year: 2014
George Clooney proposed to Amal Alamuddin in 2014 with an emerald-cut diamond estimated at over seven carats, flanked by tapered baguettes and set in platinum. Reports at the time suggested George was involved in designing it himself.
The baguettes narrow as they run toward the band, drawing a gradual line away from the rectangular centre stone, and all three diamonds share the same step-cut faceting — one visual language across the whole piece. The platinum setting stays quiet, letting the stones do the talking.
It’s hard not to see the echo of Grace Kelly’s ring: a substantial emerald-cut centre, baguettes either side, decades apart, and the arrangement still holds up.
Taking inspiration from Amal Clooney’s engagement ring: one of the more realistic celebrity rings to use as a direct reference. The same proportions work around a much smaller centre stone, and tapered baguettes are especially good at drawing the eye inward and adding width without needing a full halo.
Jewellery Design Studio’s engagement rings show a few ways three-stone designs can be built around different centre and side-stone combinations.
8. Meghan Markle: The Three-Stone Ring with Diana's Diamonds
Centre stone: Diamond from Botswana Cut: Cushion cut Setting: Three stone Side stones: Diamonds from Princess Diana’s jewellery collection Original band: Yellow gold Maker: Cleave & Company Designed by: Prince Harry Year: 2017
When Prince Harry proposed to Meghan Markle in 2017, he designed a ring carrying two separate stories. The centre diamond came from Botswana, where the couple had spent time together early on. The two smaller diamonds beside it came from Princess Diana’s own jewellery collection. All three were originally set on a yellow-gold band made by Cleave & Company.
Visually, the three-stone layout balances well — a larger cushion-cut centre framed by smaller round stones, with the shape change between them softening the transition into the band.
But the real point of this ring is the story behind. The Botswana diamond ties to the couple’s own history; Diana’s diamonds carry family history into a new setting. That’s a genuinely useful idea outside royal jewellery too — inherited stones can often be worked into a brand-new ring design while keeping their history intact.
Taking inspiration from Meghan Markle’s engagement ring: a custom three-stone ring can be built around stones you already own — an inherited diamond as a side stone, a new centre stone setting the overall proportions. Jewellery remodelling is worth looking into if you want to give an older stone a new setting without losing it from the family.
9. Hailey Bieber: The Oval Diamond Solitaire
Centre stone: Diamond Cut: Oval Original estimated carat: Approximately 6 to 10 carats Setting: Solitaire Original jeweller: Solow & Co. Given by: Justin Bieber Year: 2018
Justin Bieber worked with jeweller Jack Solow on Hailey’s original 2018 ring, a large oval diamond, estimated between 6 and 10 carats, on a plain 18-carat gold band — about as simple a design as this list gets. She later swapped it for a more elongated oval by Lorraine Schwartz in 2024.
With so little around the stone, the oval’s own proportions do all the work. Some ovals are broad and full, others longer and narrower, and two stones of identical carat weight can look completely different on the hand depending on which. The narrow band only sharpens that effect, drawing attention straight to the diamond’s shape.
The oval solitaire has become one of the defining contemporary engagement ring styles — brilliant faceting, an elongated outline, and it works with the simplest settings imaginable.
Taking inspiration from Hailey Bieber original engagement ring: the design scales down well. A well-chosen oval can cover a lot of the finger without needing celebrity-level carats — but with so little else going on, the stone’s individual proportions and its relationship to the band become the two decisions that matter most.
10. Zendaya: The East-West Diamond Ring
Centre stone: Diamond Cut: Cushion cut Carat: 5.02 carats Setting: East-west Jeweller: Jessica McCormack Given by: Tom Holland Revealed: 2025
Zendaya revealed her engagement ring at the 2025 Golden Globes, and the unusual orientation of the stone got noticed immediately. The Jessica McCormack ring sets a 5.02-carat cushion-cut diamond east-west — the longer dimension running across the finger rather than down it.
Turning the stone this way changes the entire ring’s proportions. A cushion cut is a familiar shape, but set horizontally it widens the ring across the finger and shifts its relationship with the band. It’s a reminder that setting alone can transform how a stone looks, before a single extra diamond gets added.
East-west settings have been showing up more in contemporary jewellery generally, since they give designers another way to use elongated stones — oval, emerald, marquise, elongated cushion — though the proportions of stone and finger need to actually suit each other for it to work.
Taking inspiration by Zendya’s engagement ring: you don’t need the exact ring to use the idea behind it. If you like an emerald, oval or cushion-cut diamond but want something less expected, ask what it looks like turned horizontally. Working directly with a jewellery designer is where small changes like orientation, band width and setting height get tested before anything’s finalised.
11. Lady Gaga: Heart shape Diamond
Centre stone: Diamond Cut: Heart shaped Setting: Solitaire with pavé diamond band Jeweller: Lorraine Schwartz Given by: Taylor Kinney Year: 2015
Taylor Kinney proposed to Lady Gaga on Valentine’s Day in 2015 with a large heart-shaped diamond designed by Lorraine Schwartz. Gaga announced it herself, sharing a photo of the ring and writing that Kinney had given her his heart on Valentine’s Day.
The exact carat weight was never officially confirmed — estimates at the time ranged anywhere from around 6 to 15 carats, so it’s not worth treating any single figure as fact. What is confirmed is that Lorraine Schwartz designed it and described the centre stone as an exceptionally high-quality diamond.
The heart shape itself, which gives the ring an instantly recognisable silhouette. Heart-shaped diamonds are a modified brilliant cut, so the stone still throws plenty of sparkle while reading completely differently to a round, oval or cushion diamond. At this size, symmetry matters even more than usual — the two lobes need to look balanced, the cleft has to be clearly defined, and the point needs to sit centred beneath it. A fine pavé band runs around the setting, adding sparkle without disturbing the heart’s outline.
The part most people never saw was hidden underneath. Kinney and Lorraine Schwartz had “T ♥ S” set in white diamonds into the band — Taylor and Stefani, Gaga’s birth name. Gaga later shared a photo of it and called it her favourite part of the ring.
Heart-shaped rings are genuinely rare among the celebrity rings on this list — most lean on oval, emerald, cushion or other familiar shapes — which makes this one stand out on its own. A Valentine’s Day proposal with a heart-shaped diamond is about as literal as engagement symbolism gets, and the hidden initials give it a second, quieter layer underneath.
Take inspiration from Lady Gaga’s engagement ring: you don’t need a diamond anywhere near this size to make a heart shape engagement ring work. Proportion and symmetry matter more with hearts than most other cuts — some are broad and rounded, others longer and more pointed, and the depth of the cleft alone can make two similarly-sized stones look completely different. Worth stealing regardless of stone shape is the personalisation. Initials, a date, a small gemstone or an engraving tucked into the band gives a ring something private, discoverable only if you know to look for it.
12. Elizabeth Taylor: The 33.19-Carat Krupp Diamond
Stone: Diamond Cut: Asscher-type step cut Carat: 33.19 carats Colour: D Clarity: VS1 Given by: Richard Burton Year: 1968
The Krupp Diamond was not technically an engagement ring. Richard Burton bought Elizabeth Taylor the 33.19-carat diamond in 1968, after they were already married. It became known as the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, graded D colour and VS1 clarity by the GIA. It’s included here simply because it’s one of the most famous diamonds ever tied to a celebrity relationship, engagement or not.
Size aside, the cut is what makes it worth studying. Like an emerald cut, an Asscher-style cut uses step facets rather than brilliant faceting, and the square outline with its concentric pattern draws the eye straight into the stone’s centre. Taylor wore it often as a ring, which is a large part of why it became one of the most recognisable pieces in her collection.
Taking inspiration from Elizabeth Taylor’s ring: There’s no point chasing a 33-carat stone, but the Asscher cut itself is the real takeaway. Asscher and other step cuts have a distinctive geometric look that works beautifully at far more modest sizes, and they suit designs where the symmetry and internal structure of the stone are meant to be seen clearly.
Creating Your Own Ring from an Inspiration
Celebrity rings are useful reference points mainly because there’s so much photographic evidence of how different cuts and settings actually look on a hand. That makes it easier to pin down which specific elements you’re drawn to — the emerald cut from Grace Kelly’s ring, the tapered baguettes from Amal Clooney’s, the yellow gold from Meghan’s, the horizontal setting from Zendaya’s.
Any of those can become a starting point.
At Jewellery Design Studio, we work from photographs, sketches, gemstones you already own, or just a loose idea of what you like. Custom engagement rings are designed around your preferred stone, your hand, your lifestyle and your budget.
If you already own an heirloom diamond or gemstone, it’s often possible to bring it into a new design — the same thinking behind Meghan’s use of Diana’s diamonds. Our bespoke jewellery design process lets the proportions and setting develop around the gemstone you already have, rather than forcing it into something off the shelf.
The goal is simple: figure out what you actually love about the rings that inspire you, then use that to build something that feels like yours.
Book an initial appointment with our team to start talking through your ideas. Prefer to speak with us? Call (08) 9301 4077 and our team will be happy to answer your questions and discuss the possibilities for custom jewellery design.
Disclaimer: We are not affiliated with, nor endorsed by, any of the individuals referenced in this publication. The content is provided for informational purposes only.