Put a (huge) ring on it: Taylor Swift anoints the large diamond era
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Diamonds are having a big moment.
The big picture: Newly engaged celebrities are sporting larger rocks, and even everyday buyers are opting for increasingly large diamonds.
Taylor Swift's engagement ring, an antique gem, could be somewhere between 8–15 carats, jewelers told Vogue.
- That's relatively demure compared to the stone that soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo gave Georgina Rodríguez — a diamond so ginormous, an estimated 35 carats, that it obscured about a third of her finger and earned comparisons to a Ring Pop.
- Then there was the massive pink diamond that billionaire Jeff Bezos gave to Lauren Sánchez Bezos.
Between the lines: Lab-grown diamonds changed the game. People who would've bought a small natural gem now buy a bigger, lab-grown version.
- Meanwhile, the supply of less-expensive lab-grown diamonds brought down the price of naturals, too — so you can get more bling for your buck.
By the numbers: The average size for natural diamond engagement rings was 1.4 carats in early 2024, Edahn Golan, the managing partner at Tenoris, a diamond industry data company, told Axios last year.
- That was about 50% larger than before lab-grown diamonds appeared.
Yes, but: One of the biggest suppliers of diamonds to the U.S. is India — and the White House just slapped a 50% tariff on all imports from the country. Prices may rise.
- Celebrities have long flaunted big stones. Back in 1968, Elizabeth Taylor — the original superstar Tay — sported a honking 33-carat model from her ex twice-over, Richard Burton.
The bottom line: The days of so-called quiet luxury may be behind us.
