I started off thinking I was going to write about the engagement ring that golf superstar Rory McIlroy proposed with to tennis great Catherine Wozniacki, but then it struck me -- I've seen this ring before. Actually I've seen this ring many times before. If you were a celebrity getting engaged in 2013, odds are very good the question was popped with a cushion cut diamond set in a pave halo setting.
The cushion cut is now officially the third-most popular diamond cut today after round and princess cuts. According to David Berkowitz, marketing director of James Allen, round, princess, and cushion cut diamonds accounted for 60 percent, 21 percent, and 8 percent of their sales over the past two months respectively. On our diamond education blog, we have actually seen interest in cushion cuts begin to surpass that of princess cuts.
Why set a cushion cut in a halo setting? Aesthetically speaking, it adds a beautiful artistic touch. Additionally, it makes the center stone appear larger than it actually is and it adds a bit of extra flash and sparkle.
Let's check out the other celeb brides who flaunted their cushion-cut halos for the paparazzi, Twitter, and Instagram last year.
First, let's go back to March 2013, when The Bachelor's Sean Lowe proposed to finalist Catherine Giudici on the show's finale. Jeweler to the superstars Neil Lane presented Lowe with six rings to choose from, and this 3.15 ct. cushion-cut sparkler beat out all the competitors. Notice the platinum halo setting with split shank halo band.
Then in August, High School Musical star Ashely Tisdale showed off her huge cushion cut halo set engagement ring from rocker boyfriend, Christopher French.
In September, tennis star Ryan Sweeting proposed to The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco with this 2.30ct cushion cut halo set engagement ring. Kaley recently added a classy touch to her ring after the wedding by adding double wedding rings to wear on either side of the engagement ring.
Now let's fast-forward to November when Kelly Rowland's manager and boyfriend Tim Witherspoon proposed to her with a 4 ct. cushion-cut diamond ring, with a -- take a guess? -- halo setting and pave band. The former Destiny Child singer has been seen showing off this sparkler, which has apparently got other brides-to-be drooling since TheKnot.com posted a list of Kelly Rowland look-alike engagement rings.
Moving on to December, rapper Big Sean proposed to Glee star Naya Rivera with this 4-5 ct. cushion-cut iceberg set in a platinum halo setting with pave band (and then proceeded to gift her with a matching diamond necklace for Christmas).
And with that background, you can now understand why I was not exactly shocked when I saw the cushion-cut halo setting with pave band on Catherine Wosniacki's finger.
What do you think? Has the trend run its course? Or will we be seeing cushion cut halos for months, or even years, to come?
