The History of Diamond Engagement Rings: A True Romance Hardcover – December 16, 2024

Historic paintings, celebrity photographs, style guides, gem diagrams and dozens of engagement rings illustrate this informative and inspirational small-format publication. Natural diamond engagement rings have long been an integral part of wedding traditions. Yet little is known about their origin story. Some believe the ring ritual was a niche practice until 1947, when De Beers promoted it in an advertising campaign with the tagline "A Diamond Is Forever." In fact, diamond engagement rings were widespread long before that. The History of Diamond Engagement Rings: A True Romance is the first publication to examine the story and illustrate how diamond engagement rings have become one of the, if not the, most enduring traditions in jewelry. The small-format book features more than 165 images and traces the evolution of engagement rings from the 15th century, when women and some men first began wearing them. It details turning points in the evolution of the style. During the 1890s, for example, engagement rings entered the modern era when Tiffany & Co. invented the Tiffany Setting and then made it easy to shop through mail-order catalogs sent to homes across America. At the dawn of Hollywood’s silver screen era in the 1920s, diamond engagement rings appeared in countless silent movies as an easily understood narrative device. In the 1990s, fancy color diamond engagement rings, like the styles seen on Iman and Jennifer Lopez, became a luxurious alternative to white diamonds. Style guides throughout the book highlight the vocabulary of diamonds, ring designs and little-known facts. The engagement rings of luminaries from the past and a host of contemporary celebrities are reviewed, including poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Hollywood icons Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly and contemporary luminaries Beyoncé, Jennifer Lawrence and Blake Lively. Read more