A symbol of eternal, never-ending love, eternity rings are traditionally given as a gift to commemorate a couple’s wedding anniversary. Found in half, full or multiple rows of diamonds, antique eternity rings are an excellent gift to celebrate any significant event, such as the birth of a child, completion of a significant project, or indeed as a wedding band, rather than the typical plain band. Eternity rings may also be set with different gemstones, sapphire eternity rings and ruby eternity rings are among popular choices. The eternity ring manages to maintain a distinguishable style whilst allowing for a range of designs and stones, making it a popular choice for many. Here we are discussing a few iconic eternity rings and the stories behind them.
Kate Middleton
The Princess of Wales wears three rings on her ring finger, her Welsh gold wedding band, her iconic sapphire engagement ring and an eternity ring made by British brand Annoushka. Made from white gold and 0.23ct diamonds. It is said to have been a “push present” from Prince William after the birth of their first son Prince George. The Annoushka Eclipse ring is available on their website, able to be worn on its own or within a stack like Kate styles it.
If you’re looking for a classic eternity ring, a channel set eternity ring is an elegant choice. These three eternity rings are set in a similar style to Kates!
Audrey Hepburn
Actor and filmmaker Mel Ferrer bought Audrey Hepburn’s engagement ring from Gübelin of Zurich; a well-respected European jewellery. He proposed in 1954 with the slender platinum eternity ring with channel set baguette cut diamonds. He gifted her with two more bands a few months later, one in white gold and one in pink gold, both with the date of their wedding engraved and decorated with a faceted pattern. Audrey would choose to wear one or the other rather than stack them.
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn’s engagement ring from baseball star Joe DiMaggio was crafted in platinum and featured 36 baguette cut diamonds. The baguette cut eternity ring was sold at auction for $772,500 (£636,000) in 1999, despite being one diamond short. There is a theory she was actually wearing a different ring, possibly a DiMaggio family heirloom, at the courthouse wedding in San Francisco in 1954. When the eternity ring is compared to wedding photos, this ring appears to be have had a little cluster of stones around the top portion and was presumably a placeholder before the eternity ring replaced it.
Kelly Rector
In 1986 Calvin Klein proposed to Kelly, though it’s not known with what jewel. She wore a gold and diamond eternity ring during their 20-year marriage on her ring finger. It previously belonged to the Duchess of Windsor and it is reported to have been inscribed with “Eternity”, plausible as the Duke liked inscriptions on jewels however it’s not stated in the Sotheby’s catalogue for sale. Calvin Klein launched an Eternity campaign after the design in 1988. The ad, featuring Christy Turlington, became his most successful fragrance of the era.
Sofia Coppola
An eternity band from Cartier is Sofia Coppola’s engagement ring from musician Thomas Mars. Looking to be from French jewellers the Maillon Panthère wedding band collection, images of the ring show a square silhouette with small indentations on the side.
Much like the eternity ring, we could go on forever professing our love for this design. Whether you are looking for a symbolic gift or wanting to add a distinct piece to your jewellery collection, you can’t go wrong with an exquisite antique eternity ring!
