A 30-carat oval diamond on one hand, a horizontal cushion cut on another, and somewhere in Paris, a 10-carat stone catching light above the Seine. The first half of 2025 delivered proposal announcements that read more like auction house catalogues than tabloid fodder. Footballers, pop stars, and actors put forward rings that ranged from $100,000 to $3 million, and the designs themselves told a particular story about where tastes have landed this year.
The stones got longer. The settings got bolder. And a few vintage techniques returned after decades of dormancy.
Zendaya’s East-West Cushion Cut
Jessica McCormack designed the ring that appeared on Zendaya’s finger in early 2025. The center stone is a 5.02-carat elongated cushion cut positioned horizontally in what jewelers call an east-west orientation. This placement runs the stone parallel to the finger rather than perpendicular, which creates a wider visual footprint without increasing carat weight.
The setting combines yellow gold and platinum. McCormack used yellow gold for the band and a platinum basket to hold the diamond. Industry experts placed the value between $100,000 and $150,000. The button-back setting, a technique common in Victorian and Edwardian jewelry, appears on the underside of the ring. This detail allows light to enter the stone from below and improves how the diamond performs under various lighting conditions.
Ronaldo’s $3 Million Oval
Cristiano Ronaldo proposed to Georgina Rodríguez with a 30-carat oval-cut diamond mounted on a platinum band covered in smaller stones. The estimated price tag sits around $3 million, which places it among the most expensive engagement rings given by any public figure in recorded history. The oval shape elongates across the finger, and the surrounding pavé diamonds add weight to the overall presentation.
Oval cuts require precise proportions to avoid a bow-tie effect, a dark shadow that can appear across the center of poorly cut elongated stones. At 30 carats, any flaw would be visible to the naked eye, so the stone selection for this ring would have required extensive vetting.
Cuts That Stayed Quiet This Year
Oval and cushion shapes dominated the 2025 proposals, but a few classic silhouettes remained in rotation among lesser-publicized pairings. Princess cut engagement rings appeared on the hands of several television personalities and athletes whose announcements drew smaller headlines than the Zendaya or Ronaldo news cycles. The square shape with its pointed corners offers a different geometry from the elongated forms that trended heavily this season. Round brilliants and emerald cuts also surfaced in quieter engagements throughout the spring months.
The preference for elongated stones pushed these angular alternatives further from the spotlight without erasing them entirely.
Taylor Swift’s Old Mine Brilliant
Artifex Fine Jewelry crafted the ring Taylor Swift received, which features an Old Mine Brilliant Cut diamond estimated between 7 and 10 carats. This cut predates modern diamond cutting techniques. The facet pattern differs from contemporary brilliant cuts, with a smaller table, higher crown, and larger culet. The stone sits in a bezel setting flanked by half-moon side stones.
Valuations from gemologists ranged from $125,000 to $5 million, depending on the specific characteristics of the center stone. Old Mine cuts were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, and surviving examples often appear in estate sales. A newly cut Old Mine Brilliant requires a cutter willing to sacrifice weight for period-accurate proportions.
Selena Gomez’s Marquise
The marquise cut appeared on Selena Gomez’s hand, set on a gold eternity band with pavé diamonds running the full circumference. The center stone’s pointed ends and curved sides create a shape that dates to 18th-century France. Appraisers estimated the ring’s value at approximately $225,000.
Marquise diamonds can appear larger than other cuts of equal carat weight because their elongated profile covers more surface area. The setting protects the two vulnerable points of the stone with prongs positioned at each tip.
Simu Liu’s Paris Proposal
Simu Liu presented Allison Hsu with a 10-carat oval-cut diamond in Paris. The ring uses a simple gold band without additional accent stones. This approach puts full visual emphasis on the center diamond. The oval shape at 10 carats would measure roughly 16mm in length and 11mm in width, though exact dimensions vary based on depth and proportion choices made during cutting.
Dua Lipa’s Wide Band Setting
Dua Lipa’s ring departs from the thin-band tendency that has persisted for years. The design features a chunky gold band holding a 2-carat diamond in a half-rubover setting. This setting style wraps metal partially around the stone’s girdle, securing it without a traditional prong structure. The result is a lower profile that sits closer to the finger.
Winnie Harlow’s Three-Stone Ring
Kyle Kuzma proposed to Winnie Harlow with an 8.5-carat natural diamond in an oval cut. Two smaller diamond side stones flank the center. The three-stone configuration adds width to the ring and allows for contrast between the sizes of the stones.
Miley Cyrus at the Premiere
Miley Cyrus appeared at the Avatar: Fire and Ash premiere wearing a ring from Maxx Morando. The piece uses an east-west bezel setting, continuing the horizontal orientation seen on several other high-profile hands this year.
What the Year Revealed About Taste
Elongated shapes dominated. Ovals appeared on more celebrity hands than any other cut. Cushion cuts followed, with marquise shapes holding a smaller but visible presence. Bezel settings and east-west orientations appeared repeatedly. Vintage techniques, including the button-back construction and Old Mine cutting, returned after years of limited visibility in mainstream jewelry.
The price points spanned six figures to seven, and the design choices favored length over width, metal variety over uniformity, and historical references over purely contemporary aesthetics.
