Alessandra Ambrosio’s engagement ring from her Australian jewelry designer fiancé Buck Palmer puts a modern twist on a classic “cushion cut” design.
Its design is also part of a broader trend when it comes to celebrity engagement and wedding rings.
The 45-year-old supermodel announced her engagement to Palmer Aug. 11 on Instagram when she posted several images from the couple’s romantic beachside proposal. She also posted a close up of the engagement ring in another post.
In the pics, Ambrosio flaunts a whopper of a diamond ring on her left ring finger.
“It’s an elongated cushion cut,” Mallory Shelter of Shelter Jewelry tells TODAY.com of the diamond.
As for its size? “Probably six to seven carats,” Shelter estimates.
A Mix of Traditional and Trendy
The diamond is “set in a very classic bezel setting,” says Shelter.
In other words, the ring features a custom-fitted metal rim that wraps around the diamond rather than encasing it in prongs.
“It’s a sleek, modern alternative to a more traditional prong setting,” Shelter explains.
A bezel setting offers “practical advantages, especially with stones of this size.”
“They’re a more secure setting, protect the edges of the stone and are less likely to snag on clothing, which makes it a really comfortable ring to wear,” Shelter adds.
The setting’s style is trendier than ever this year, she continues, noting, “I think we’re seeing a lot of them right now because they give a vintage but modern feel. It’s a great way to have a solitaire style feel more distinctive rather than mainstream.”
The understated, “unfussy” look, Shelter adds, “feels very aligned with the current move toward quieter, more design-forward luxury.”
A Style That’s Hot With Celebrities
Anna-Mieke Anderson, founder and former CEO of MiaDonna, says the ring’s vintage look has been trendy with celebrities.
“We are certainly seeing a return to antique-inspired, metal-forward settings,” Anderson tells TODAY.com.
Zendaya’s wedding ring, for example, “is a true Georgian-inspired button-back design,” referring to a type of closed-back bezel setting that’s rooted in the Georgian era.
Taylor Swift’s ring “has a vintage-style yellow-gold bezel with hand engraving,” she adds.
“Alessandra’s (ring) belongs to that same broader movement,” explains Anderson.
Asher Wiener, CEO of Luma Jewellery, agrees Ambrosio’s ring probably features a button back — or possibly a closed back collet — setting.
“What I like is that it’s unforgiving,” says Wiener. “Close the back and light can only get in and out through the top, so the cut has to be good or the diamond goes flat on the hand. A tall claw setting will carry a mediocre stone. This one won’t.”
“The trend’s real and I think it’s a reaction to 15 years of very tall, six claw solitaires. Zendaya’s Jessica McCormack ring did most of the work, Taylor Swift’s bezel pushed it further, and we’re seeing more requests for it,” says Wiener.
A Yellow Gold Band
The band on Ambrosio’s ring is yellow gold, “almost certainly 18k,” says Wiener.
“Gold does a diamond a quiet favor nobody talks about. The warm metal reflects up into the stone and hides a warmer color grade, so an H or an I looks white in gold when it would look tinted in platinum. That’s someone buying with their eyes, not off a certificate,” Wiener explains.
What’s the Ring’s Story?
The ring “is incredibly elegant, just like Alessandra,” says Anderson.
“The elongated cushion is timeless, while the yellow-gold setting gives it warmth and modernity. This ring will never go out of style, and it will go with absolutely everything,” Anderson adds.
All three experts noted Palmer, as a designer himself, knows his way around a ring.
“He’s a jeweler, so he made it at his own bench instead of walking into a store,” says Wiener. “There’s no showing off in it. Oldest setting in the book, plain band, every decision pointing at a ring she can live in rather than one she has to look after.”
The Ring Is Likely Worth $200,000 to $400,000
The estimated cost of the ring is anywhere from $200,000 to $400,000, says Anderson, who guessed Ambrosio’s diamond was closer to seven carats than six.
“Exceptional color, clarity, provenance, or designer craftsmanship could place it above that range,” Anderson notes.
“We would need to see the grading report to confirm the diamond’s origin and characteristics,” she adds.
Wiener agrees, more or less, with Anderson’s estimate.
“If it’s natural and grades around G color, VS clarity at six carats, roughly $200,000 to $350,000 at retail. Seven carats with better clarity takes it past $450,000. The gold work is maybe $5,000 of that.
“(Palmer) is in the trade though, so what he actually paid is a fraction of the numbers being reported,” adds Wiener.