@emrata
Would you say ‘I do’ to a divorce ring, à la Emily Ratajkowski?
We commemorate many milestones in our lives, so why not start a new chapter post-divorce with a reworked engagement ring?
Post-split splurges come in myriad forms, running the gamut from comfort blankets and hastily chopped bobs to holiday retreats and designer bags. There’s a feeling of empowerment attached to the actions and purchases of a newly single person, made without the need to negotiate with their other half.
Not all of life’s great milestones are Hallmark moments, and divorce, in particular, seems to be cast in this shadow of failure when really it’s an incredibly courageous act. Of course, there’s heartbreak and loss and so many other factors at play, but reaching the decision to part ways and allow each party to pursue their own journey as individuals takes, I’m sure, immense amounts of bravery.
Pioneering a new ‘divorce ring’ trend is none other than model, actress and author Emily Ratajkowski, who posted a photo to Instagram of her newly split-in-two Toi et Moi engagement ring. Back in 2022, EmRata and her husband of four years, Sebastian Bear-McClard, parted ways, but the stunning ring lives on, albeit in a different form.
According to the lore surrounding the engagement, McClard proposed with a paper ring he fashioned out of a restaurant bill secured with a paperclip. The Toi et Moi ring came later and featured a two-carat princess-cut diamond alongside a three-carat pear-shaped diamond, all on an 18-carat yellow gold band. Now, Ratajkowski’s ring selection features two individually set diamonds on separate gold bands, worn on the fourth and fifth fingers of her right hand.
Around the time of the pair’s engagement, it was reported that the My Body author designed the ring herself – an onerous task that required more than 50 sketches – before enlisting the assistance of friend and jewellery designer Alison Chelma of Alison Lou to make the custom ring a reality.
Post-divorce, Alison Lou was recruited once again to fashion the dazzling diamonds into two separate divorce rings, a pretty clear metaphor for the separation of their union. Speaking to Vogue, Emily said: “The rings represent my own personal evolution. I don’t think a woman should be stripped of her diamonds just because she’s losing a man.”
“It was a fun project to work on together amidst a hugely transitional period in my life,” she continues. “The ring became symbolic to me – some kind of token or evidence of my life becoming my own again.”
“It’s been a crazy couple of years, and finally I feel a sense of peace within myself and about the life and future I have and will continue to build with my son,” she says. “Somehow, these rings feel like a reminder that I can make myself happy in ways I never imagined.”
Dublin-based jewellery designer Chupi Sweetman has been offering her own selection of divorce rings for some time now. On the brand’s website, the collection is described as being designed to mark one of life’s biggest moments. “You take off the rings that celebrated love and start over,” it reads. “Divorce or break up is always hard. It’s the end of what was meant to be forever, but it’s also the beginning of a new tomorrow. You can choose any ring to mark the start of this new chapter, to aid you we have curated a collection of our most frequently chosen rings.”
Not all of life’s milestones have to be picture perfect moments, but there’s no reason for them not to be honoured as part and parcel of the journey that makes up a person. So, what say you? Would you sport a divorce ring, à la Emily Ratajkowski, or would you rather throw your engagement ring into the sea?
Imagery via @emrata on Instagram
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