We’re not beyond gossip here and the Sept. 9 surprise wedding of actors Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively has everyone talking about…her engagement ring. During their honeymoon last week in Charleston, South Carolina, Lively was photographed wearing a light pink oval diamond ring custom designed by Lorraine Schwartz. Blogs have been blowing up discussing this whopper of an engagement ring. Some think it’s garishly big, others love its art-deco style.
According to the jeweler’s spokesperson, the couple designed the ring together. Certainly not the norm, but increasingly common among couples who know they intend to get married. When picking an engagement ring, most people start by zeroing in on the four Cs – cut, color, clarity, and carat. After that, it’s up to your personal style and whether you want to incorporate sentimental touches like designing the ring after a mother’s or a grandmother’s ring. And keep an open mind to creative alternatives. InStyle Magazine did a round-up of 2011’s most popular engagement ring styles and found that along with the classic solitaire diamond, grooms and couples were also gravitating toward new twists like a setting from Solange Azagury-Partridge that looks like cupped hands and an elegant interlocking band from Monique Pean Atelier that resembles braided ribbons.
BusinessInsider.com has a good run-down of what to consider when shopping for a ring. This list is written for the groom but it’s useful too for a couple that has decided to shop together for the engagement ring. One of the best pieces of advice here is not to skimp on the cut, because the cut determines how the stone will sparkle. The importance of this may speak to the kid in all of us — the more sparkle, the tougher it is to look away.