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

NEW YORK – In her classic song Love Story (2008), American singer Taylor Swift fantasised 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. American 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 Ms Kindred Lubeck of Artifex Fine Jewelry in New York. She makes hand-engraved jewellery with natural gemstones.

“It’s not just a flashy piece, but more of an aesthetic, really beautiful diamond,” said Ms 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 added, estimating the weight to be around seven 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,” she said. “Even though this is a giant diamond, it’s a much softer light.”

Many celebrities have sported giant rings in mid-2025, including Argentine model Georgina Rodriguez, who got engaged to Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo in August; Nigerian chef Chioma Rowland, who married Afrobeats star Davido in August; and American philanthropist Lauren Sanchez Bezos at her wedding to Amazon founder 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,” she 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,” Ms Fasel said.

Ms Ann Grimmett, vice-president for merchandising at Jared Jewelers, estimated that the diamond was seven to nine carats, costing anywhere from US$250,000 (S$321,000) to US$500,000.

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

Mr Nilesh Rakholia, founder of Abelini Jewellery, a modern British jewellery brand, estimated that the ring weighs seven to 10 carats, costing between US$1 million and US$1.3 million.

“What makes this design particularly striking is its blend of vintage charm and modern minimalism,” he 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.”

Mr Jason Arasheben, founder of the jewellery company Jason Of Beverly Hills, 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 tons of screenshots from clients,” he said, citing the Taylor Swift effect.

Ms Fasel does not 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 is 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,” she said. Unlike red carpet jewellery, where every detail is tied to a brand, “this is personal – this is real”. NYTIMES