The story starts with a paperclip and a restaurant bill. Emily Ratajkowski engagement ring turned into a $90,000 masterpiece – a stunning mix of diamonds set in yellow gold. The final design showcases a 3+ carat pear-shaped diamond next to a 2-carat princess-cut stone.
This ring stands out beyond its price tag and unique style. Ratajkowski turned her engagement ring into something more powerful after her divorce.
She worked with jeweler Alison Chemla to split the original piece into two separate “divorce rings.” The journey shows how 50 design sketches and bold choices created a symbol of independence from a traditional engagement ring.
The $90,000 Toi et Moi Ring Design: Emily Ratajkowski Engagement Ring
Emily Ratajkowski’s 2018 custom engagement ring caught everyone’s attention. The piece moved far beyond its paperclip beginnings – showing up as a bold $50,000 to $90,000 statement piece.
The ring’s heart featured a Toi et Moi design, meaning “you and me” in French, placing two diamonds side by side to show two souls joining. A 2-carat princess cut diamond sat next to a tilted 3-carat pear-shaped diamond on an 18-carat yellow gold band.
“We liked the idea of two stones instead of one and spent a long time looking at rings with multiple stones for inspiration,” Ratajkowski shared with Vogue. The final design came after 50 different sketches.
Each detail served a purpose. Ratajkowski explained, “At one point it included a ruby as the second stone, but ultimately we loved the idea of the femininity of the pear contrasted with the architecture of the princess”.
Emily’s friend Alison Chemla, the designer behind Alison Lou, helped create this special piece. The Toi et Moi style dates back to the late 18th century’s Romantic era, famously worn by Napoleon’s Josephine.
The ring broke from tradition with its bold shapes and sizes. Yellow gold mixed with different diamond cuts showed both classic appeal and modern style – much like Emily herself.
“I love it,” the model said. “I can’t tell you how special it feels to me”.
Emily Ratajkowski Engagement Ring: The Designer Behind The Ring Transformation
Alison Chemla shares more than just a business relationship with Emily Ratajkowski. The New York jeweler and creative director of Alison Lou started as Emily’s friend before becoming her ring designer.
Their connection runs deep. Ratajkowski modeled for Chemla’s Loucite collection earlier. “Emily has been a good friend and close to the brand for some time now… this felt like the right moment to work together,” Chemla said at the time.
The divorce ring project came naturally to them both. “Emily and I spent a lot of time talking about what she wanted and how she wanted to feel when wearing the rings,” Chemla explained.
The split design made perfect sense. “The idea of divorce is a separation, so it was always going to be splitting the ring into two separate but complementary rings,” Chemla shared. Some parts proved tricky. “The princess cut was more challenging. Alison and I worked together to find something that felt fresh but also timeless,” Ratajkowski noted.
Chemla focused on making rings her friend would love. She aimed to create pieces Ratajkowski would “feel proud of” and that would “make a statement.”
The whole process shows up in an Alison Lou Instagram reel. This peek behind the scenes reveals two friends working together, turning one ring into two powerful symbols of new beginnings.
Emily Ratajkowski Engagement Ring: Marriage Ring Turns Power Symbol
Emily Ratajkowski kept her engagement diamonds after her 2022 divorce from Sebastian Bear-McClard. “I don’t think a woman should be stripped of her diamonds just because she’s losing a man,” she told Vogue.
The idea sparked from Stephanie Danler’s “The Unravelers” essay. A grandmother’s snake ring, made from stones of past marriages, caught Ratajkowski’s eye. “I loved the idea of a ring unabashedly representing the many lives a woman has lived,” she said.
The diamonds now live as two separate “divorce rings.” The pear-shaped stone sits at an angle on a yellow-gold band – perfect for her left pinky. Rihanna’s diamond pinky-toe ring sparked this placement choice. The princess-cut stone got a bigger change – two trapezoid stones now frame it, creating an art-deco look.
These rings mean more than just style. “The rings represent my own personal evolution,” Ratajkowski shared. The new pieces show “my life becoming my own again.”
Other women connect with this idea too. Jewelry designer Stephanie Gottlieb sees divorce rings taking many forms – from stark black diamonds to personal birthstone pieces.
“Somehow, these rings feel like a reminder that I can make myself happy in ways I never imagined,” Ratajkowski said. Her old marriage symbol now stands for something stronger – her own path forward.
A Ring Story Reimagined
Emily Ratajkowski’s ring tells more than just a marriage story. She turned her diamonds into powerful symbols of independence instead of letting them sit as memories.
The $90,000 Toi et Moi ring is split into two unique pieces through Alison Chemla’s skilled work. One diamond sits tilted on a pinky ring, while the other shines in an art-deco setting. Each piece shows a different side of Ratajkowski’s path forward.
The story proves engagement rings hold different meanings after divorce. Ratajkowski shows women can keep their stones and make them mean something new. Her paperclip proposal turned into something bigger – a true mark of personal strength and fresh starts.
