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From Alia Bhatt to Sonam Kapoor and Sobhita Dhulipala: Everything To Know About Celebrity Engagement Rings
A-list proposals and celebrity engagement rings are rewriting the rules of romance — and retail.
Taylor Swift may have once sung about paper rings, but when it came time to say yes, she accepted fiancé Travis Kelce’s proposal with an elongated cushion-cut diamond — bezel-set and far from modest; the ring is said to be anywhere between seven and 13 carats.
She wasn’t the only one — actor Liam Hemsworth’s fiancé, Gabriella Brooks, joined the club with a timeless rock of her own. And just weeks before them, Georgina Rodríguez flashed her jaw-dropping engagement ring from footballer Cristiano Ronaldo: an oval-cut diamond reportedly worth up to $5 million.
But Indian stars aren’t trailing far behind. Alia Bhatt’s Van Cleef & Arpels ring is reportedly worth ₹3 crores, while Asin’s Cartier ring — imported from Belgium — is said to be 20 carats. Vidya Balan chose a traditional gold band with a ruby in the centre, while Aditi Rao Hydari made headlines with her two-stone toi et moi ring.
In fact, when it comes to celebrity engagements, nothing escapes the court of public opinion — The Hollywood Reporter India zooms in for a closer look.
Rock Stars
Rao Hydari’s ring is a toi et moi ring (meaning ‘you and me’ in French) that features matching round-cut and pear-shaped Golconda diamonds, a slightly unconventional choice that made a big impact.
“In India, elongated diamond cuts — oval, emerald, and pear — are very popular right now,” says Preeta Agarwal, jewellery specialist, consultant and influencer. “Aditi Rao Hydari’s ring is substantially adding to sales of [differently] shaped diamonds, not just for rings but pendants and studs too.”
Esshitha Guna, the founder of the jewellery brand Andal, designed the ring. “With Aditi akka’s (sister) ring, she knew exactly what she wanted,” she says. “It was meant to be. Both rings [hers and her husband Siddharth’s], blew up on the internet and we receive messages about them even today.”
While not as common as single-stone rings, the toi et moi is by no means a new design. It originated in 1796 with French emperor Napoleon’s proposal to Joséphine and was revived when American president John F. Kennedy gifted an emerald-and-diamond version to Jacqueline Bouvier in 1953. More recently, model Emily Ratajkowski brought it back into fashion — and then gave it a twist. After her divorce, she split her toi et moi ring into two separate pieces, calling them her “divorce rings.” “I don’t think a woman should be stripped of her diamonds just because she’s losing a man,” she famously told Vogue.
Ring Leaders
When it comes to trends, Hailey Bieber is always one step ahead. Her oval engagement ring made waves in 2018, and Julia Hackman Chafé, an international jewellery designer and wholesaler, says it’s what really brought it back into the public consciousness. “We’re also seeing stackable engagement rings paired with wedding bands, a trend borrowed from the West but increasingly loved here,” she says. Guna confirms the surge in interest. “Brides today are going all out for their desired diamond cut. This is the fastest decision in our process, one always knows at first glance which cut they like!” She adds that couples now also prefer to have either a custom message or symbols of love engraved on to the rings. Siddharth’s ring for one, had a great deal of customisation — set in 18K yellow gold, it features princess-cut diamonds and custom-cut emeralds, rubies and blue gemstones. In fact, colour is having a moment.
Agarwal notes, “Sapphires, emeralds, and even rubies are making a comeback as centre stones.” Besides Princess Diana’s iconic sapphire ring, Bollywood’s own Katrina Kaif also sports a cushion-cut sapphire from Tiffany & Co.
But besides the stone and the shape, the cut is an important factor because it defines how brilliantly the stone sparkles. “A well-cut stone can make a smaller carat weight look larger and more radiant,” says Agarwal, adding that brilliance is what makes a good ring exceptional. And then comes the quality of the craftsmanship. Among the standout designs, she cites Meghan Markle’s ring, which Prince Harry designed with diamonds from Princess Diana’s collection and a centre stone from Botswana — a place meaningful to the couple.
The Perfect Match
There’s no denying the influence of celebrity culture in 2025. One red carpet appearance and it can bring back a design long forgotten; the way pearl-and-diamond rings made their way back into contemporary bridal markets right after singer Ariana Grande debuted her own.
Chafé has noticed a similar pattern. “My family business [in fine jewellery] received a bunch of calls for elongated cushion-cut [diamonds] because Taylor Swift got it. We can see the rise of old mine-cut diamonds and people looking for antique-looking stones [like hers].”
Which is quite a shift from the oversized solitaires with halo settings that once had every celebrity hooked. As Agarwal puts it, “In the early 2000s, bigger was always better, but today, the focus has shifted to individuality and symbolism.”
But how does one find that?
Guna reveals, “The process starts with a conversation with the couple on their ideas and inspirations for the ring. We put it all down on paper where it is visualised.” For celebrity couples, they ensure complete privacy is maintained till they announce it themselves.
Next, arguably the most important part, is to pick the four Cs — cut, colour, clarity and carat weight. But as a coloured-stone wholesaler, Chafé adds that these things aren’t standardised for stones other than diamonds, so there’s no objective way to measure their quality. She explains, “When looking for a stone, I would make sure it’s not a crooked cut, because over time, that will not rise in value. Aside from that, it’s based on preference.”
Chafé adds that in today’s diamond world, perfectly cut stones in lower-grade colours are gaining popularity — because people still want what their favourite celebrities have, even if it’s not quite in budget.
Beyond the Sparkle
And that affordability gap? It’s being filled — quite quickly — by lab-grown diamonds. Agarwal explains, “Natural and lab-grown diamonds are chemically and physically identical, so in terms of durability and beauty, they are the same. However, the latter is almost 80 to 90 per cent less expensive.”
Chafé however, believes lab diamonds are being mass-produced in India and China not for luxury jewellery, but for industrial use — think AI chips and material-cutting tools. “They won’t be known as luxury pretty soon and I would never sell someone a lab-grown diamond.”
She notes that the primary natural diamond buyers today fall into three categories. “People who want to see their diamond hold value over time, those with a budget that allows for over two carats — based off statistics from my friends in the diamond industry — and people who want something truly unique, like desert diamonds,” says Chafé. “It’s not about how high they’re going to go — but rather how unique they’re willing to go.”
And while Agarwal has seen some celebrities making conscious choices to better their image — vintage rings, ethically sourced stones, or custom heirlooms — Chafé disagrees. “I don’t think celebrities prioritise sustainability in this field, or really, in any field,” she says.
Even so, that doesn’t mean the conversation stops here. At the end of the day, an engagement ring isn’t just another piece of jewellery — and often the one most likely to become a family heirloom. Which makes choosing the perfect ring about so much more than just the cut, the carats or one’s favourite celebrity.
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