Emily Ratajkowski may have just brought the term ‘divorce ring’ into our vocabularies, but according to three Australian jewellers, this trend isn’t new.
This week the model flashed two huge diamond rings made from the stones that were originally in her engagement ring from ex-husband Sebastian Bear-McClard.
Fans were obsessed with the idea of remaking an engagement or wedding ring into something new after going through a divorce, but Rebecca Klodinsky, co-founder of The Prestwick Place, says Aussie women have been doing it for years.
“This is definitely not a new trend. Women have been liberating themselves and repurposing their engagement rings for a really long time, the sentiment has never really received any attention until recently,” she tells 9honey.
Lars Larsen, from Larsen Jewellery, agrees that he’s seen women remodelling wedding sets into other jewellery for a while now, but it’s definitely gotten more popular in recent years.
He tells 9honey: “Traditionally, it was much more common for wedding rings to be packed away for the next generation to use or sold after divorce or the death of a partner, but we’re seeing nowadays people are much more inclined to remake them into something meaningful.”
Social media has helped lessen the taboo around divorce and made jewellery design more accessible, which may be why more women are jumping on the trend today.
“People not only see celebrities having trendy jewellery made but also other everyday people, and want to do it themselves,” Larsen adds.
Talitha Cummins, founder of The Cut Jewellery, adds that many women who go through divorce still love the stones in their engagement or wedding rings but don’t feel right wearing them in their original forms.
She tells 9honey most women are looking for a total design overhaul when it comes to divorce rings and want the finished product to look totally different to the original.
“I had one woman who had a platinum pave set ring pull the main diamond out and set it in yellow gold by itself, so it looked completely different to the original design,” she says.
Klodinsky has also noticed that many women opt for a snake-like design for their divorce ring, as it feels symbolic of shedding their old life.
“Our number one divorce ring is a 3.70ct full Lab Diamond September Six-Stone. The diamonds wrap around the finger in a graduated way, like a snake,” she says.
Some women identify with the serpent wrap in an evolutionary way, like how a snake sheds its old skin […] others have remarked how their ex had a snake-like personality.”
She was thrilled to see the positive response to Ratajkowski’s divorce rings this week and hopes it will empower other everyday women to consider a divorce ring.
“It’s something that’s been happening for a long time but hasn’t been made public, and will continue for a lot of people in that way,” she explains.
“Kudos to Ratajkowski for being so open, she’s obviously drawing a line in the sand and ready to move forward in a public way, but I don’t think most women are that open about it.”
So what are the best designs or settings for divorce rings, especially if you don’t have two frankly gigantic diamonds to work with like Ratajkowski? Each jeweller had their own take.
Klodinsky remains a huge fan of serpent-style settings, or turning a wedding set into a two-stone or even a trilogy (ring with three stones) style.
“For those who just want to wear or repurpose a single stone, tilting or adjusting the alignment of the stone itself can be a crafty way of changing the overall aesthetic from engagement to everyday,” she adds.
Cummins also likes trilogy divorce rings, explaining that it can be “symbolic of the past, present and the future”.
She adds: “But I’m sure there are some people who don’t want to be reminded of the past at all. Then you might create something in the opposite gold colour to what they had.”
Meanwhile, Larsen loves to see clients get creative by adding uniquely coloured stones or opting for an interesting silhouette with their divorce rings.
“Getting creative with a divorce ring can spark a sense of renewal in a lot of people, which can be a hugely healing and positive experience,” he says.
“It’s a common mistake to go with what’s currently trendy or big on Instagram or looks good in current fashion circles. Avoid this if you can,” Larsen continues.
“Remember that trends change all the time, but that this ring is just for you, and it should be something you absolutely love. The best divorce ring is the one the wearer is happy with.”
Our special thanks to Maddison Leach and nine.com.au for this fascinating article