A Jewellery Expert Weighs in On What Makes Taylor Swift’s Engagement Ring So Incredibly Special

No debate. The celebrity engagement of the year, if not the decade, is upon us—and the old-world-glamour engagement ring that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have chosen to embody their love more than stands up to the hype.

The singer and the sports star—or “your English teacher and your gym teacher” as Swift quipped in her announcement post on Instagram last night—have sealed the deal with an extraordinary diamond ring that weaves a narrative as alluring as any Taylor Swift melody.

In true celebrity style, the diamond is—of course—huge. Lisa Levinson, head of UK at the Natural Diamond Council, estimates that it could be 10 carats. The most popular diamond weight for engagement rings is one carat.

What also makes this stone special is the cut. Levinson believes the diamond is an elongated cushion antique cut, a flattering shape that combines the soft curves of a standard, pillowy cushion cut with a length that is closer to that of an oval diamond (a cut that has been insanely popular in recent years due to a number of celebrity engagement rings with oval-cut diamonds, including those of Hailey Bieber and Blake Lively).

The antique element of the cut doesn’t just allude to the old-world aesthetic that this diamond most definitely softly emits. It means that this stone was likely first cut more than 100 years ago—a time when diamonds were cut by hand, with perfectly imperfect facets that make each one an individual work of art. Antique diamonds also have a softer sparkle than modern round brilliants, as they were cut to glitter under candlelight.

“The choice of an antique diamond reflects an interest in story and provenance,” says Levinson. “This diamond could have had many lives and experiences before it was chosen to be their engagement ring. Many old-cut diamonds have been re-fashioned, which means their rarity increases by the year. The size of the diamond already makes it exceedingly rare, for diamonds that are larger than 5 carats, we recover less than the volume of a basketball each year, globally.”

What also makes Taylor Swift’s diamond engagement ring even more special is the band. The diamond is set in a gold band that has been decorated with intricate engravings. It is believed to be the handiwork of New York jeweller Kindred Lubeck, who crafts hand-engraved rings under her brand name Artifex Fine Jewelry.

Lubeck only launched her jewellery brand in 2024, and started making engagement rings at the end of last year, starting with a Victorian era-inspired Lionna engraved yellow gold ring, set with a 1.10ct Old European cut diamond. While her brand is new, Lubeck hails from a jewellery family. Her father, Jay Lubeck, is a master goldsmith based in Neptune Beach, Florida.

Taylor Swift has been responsible for sparking a number of jewellery trends in the past, such as her lucky number ‘13’ gold necklace, which was made by London jeweller Laura Gravestock. The Eras Tour also reignited a passion among Swifties for friendship bracelets. As such, there is little doubt that her engagement ring will have a huge impact on bridal trends over the next few years.

Tobias Kormind at 77 Diamonds suggests that Swifties could create a similar version through its bespoke service, with an 8 carat elongated cushion-cut diamond set in rose gold coming in at about £500,000. But for those with smaller budgets, there are many ways to tap into the style of Swift’s ring without creating an exact copy.

Expect to see more cushion cuts, or other elongated shapes such as ovals or radiant cuts, antique stones of all sizes, and intricate engraved bands, as brides-to-be try to emulate the romantic storytelling captured by what will surely be one of the most iconic celebrity engagement rings of all time.

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