If you haven’t caught wind of the recent engagement of Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly (real name Colson Baker), either you’ve been living under a rock or you go way out of your way to avoid hearing anything about pop culture.
Actually, even if you do try your best to avoid celebrity news, chances are the headline-making, whirlwind romance crept into your feed somehow. It was virtually unavoidable.
I don’t tend to follow much celebrity news (at least not on purpose), but the jewelry resulting from this engagement heard round the world is too good not to be excited about (also, I have a soft spot for Megan Fox and will defend her performance in Jennifer’s Body to the death).
So let’s get to the goods—the ring that many have seen, heard of, or read about numerous times over the last week or so. Designed by famed jeweler Stephen Webster, the two-stone ring features a pear-shape diamond and emerald wrapped in an embracing style that’s often referred to as toi et moi (in French, that’s “you and me”).
“You and me” is precisely what the ring represents—an emerald for Fox, born in May; a diamond for Baker, born in April—with interlocking thorn bands.
This particular ring is actually two separate pieces, interlocked by a clever design with magnets built into the gold. But the style brings to mind the one-piece toi et moi style, about to burst onto the bridal market in a big way.
While many reading this would have already been familiar with the toi et moi, somehow it felt like the industry’s secret. Not so much a mainstream style as some of its counterparts in bridal (the solitaire, the halo, the three-stone), this two-stone ring felt reserved for only the most extravagant shoppers.
Maybe that’s because it’s an amazing choice for showcasing particularly rare and special gemstones or because many of the ones I’ve encountered in retail were vintage. The style certainly has its roots in history, so this is by no means a new and revolutionary design—though it was when it initially made its debut.
It was Napoleon Bonaparte—yes, that Napoleon—who reportedly popularized the ring back in 1796, when he offered it to his bride-to-be Joséphine de Beauharnais. The ring was sold for $949,000 when auctioned by French jewelry house Osenat in March 2013.
The ring, which features a pear-shape sapphire and diamond set in opposing directions, isn’t what I think of when I hear toi et moi, though the term encompasses a variety of styles.
“Toi et moi is a centuries-old concept seeing a sharp resurgence after celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski and Ariana Grande chose the look for their own rings,” says designer Lindsey Scoggins, whose own interpretation is pictured at top. “It’s an easily modernized style and is a great way to make a ring personal and unique.”
My ideal example is that of the bypass style, an open band with two stones encircling the finger, meeting slightly off-center at the front (similar to many pictured throughout this piece). This is the image I will be taking note of as more styles hit the market, though an influx of many two-stone rings is to be expected, and they’re all fabulous.
Top: Endless Loop ring in yellow gold with diamonds, prices start at $15,000; Lindsey Scoggins
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