Reported engagement ring specs from the world of celebrity.

Jennifer Lopez
Heart cut 6 carat pink diamond, framed with two white baguette diamonds on a platinum band. This famous engagement ring was given to J.Lo by Ben Affleck, sparking a worldwide desire for precious pink diamonds once Hollywood caught on to their exclusivity.

Heidi Klum
Oval cut 10 carat fancy yellow diamond, claw set with a canary yellow diamond pave set band, 2.5mm wide. Seal proposed with this unique choice, which he designed himself as a statement of his love for Heidi.

Beyonce Knowles
Emerald cut 18 carat flawless diamond, set in a Platinum metal band. This striking statement piece was given to Beyonce by Hip-Hop mogul, Jay-Z. There is nothing understated about this talented duo and the ring is a perfect representation of their expensive style.

Mariah Carey
Emerald cut 14 carat pink diamond, featuring one half-moon diamond on either side. The singing diva expects nothing but the best and is known for her expensive taste, so this stunning and unique choice is well suited to her personality and style.

Christina Aguilera
Round brilliant cut 5 carat diamond, with a channel set diamond band. This beautiful and classic design is a rather safe choice for an A-list celebrity; however this design will remain forever stylish. 

Kristin Cavallari
Square cut 5.2 carat diamond, with a four claw setting and a channel set diamond band. The diamond band is a lovely addition to the ‘wow factor’ of this modern design.

Katherine Heigl
Pear cut 3 carat diamond, with a pave set band diamond band in Platinum metal. A portion of the Platinum used in Katherine’s band came from her mother’s own engagement ring.

Have the diamond engagement ring of your dreams created for you by your own personal jeweller at Larsen Jewellery in Sydney and Melbourne.
 

Your choice of metals comes down to a personal preference, but let me give you a run down of the main features of each so that you can make an informed choice for your rings.

In jewellery, platinum is used in its almost pure form with most alloys being 95% pure platinum, making it a very durable and dense metal.  It wears down at a much slower rate than other precious metals making it an excellent choice for engagement and wedding rings.  Platinum is roughly twice the density of gold per gram, which makes a platinum ring heavier than the same ring in white gold. Polished platinum has a natural greyish/white colour and maintains this throughout its lifetime.  It has a tendency to scratch more easily than white gold, however its strength makes for a longer lasting piece of jewellery. Platinum is more expensive than white gold because it is a rarer metal that is harder to mine and refine as well as being a more difficult metal to work with.

White gold is an alloy of yellow gold and a combination of white metals, such as fine silver and palladium. White gold is alloyed to produce a strong metal that is suitable for use in jewellery, as well as to change its colour from yellow to white. The amount of pure gold in the alloy is graded as 18ct, 14ct or 9ct, all numbers which refer to the  amount of pure gold in the alloy. For example, 18ct white gold is a combination of 75% pure (yellow) gold and 25% white metals. The alloying process allows white gold to be fairly tough, hard wearing metal. It is not scratch proof, but will not scratch as easily as platinum.

The 18ct white gold alloy that we use at Larsen Jewellery is a combination of pure gold, palladium (a platinum family metal) and fine silver. The unplated colour of this alloy is greyish white. As a result of this, white gold is almost always Rhodium plated. Rhodium, a platinum family metal, is very bright white, reflective, and extremely hard. It is electroplated to the surface of white gold to produce a very thin coating of bright white metal to cover the greyish tone of the white gold. Rhodium plating will eventually wear away, but rings can be replated regularly and is cost effective in maintaining the appearance of white gold.

Platinum and white gold have their own properties that make them unique. The decision between the two will come down to what best suits your needs and wants.