A History Of Engagement Rings, Vol. 4: The 1950’s

Last week in A History Of Engagement Rings we talked about one of the greatest jewelry collectors of modern times: Liz Taylor. Oddly enough, or maybe not so oddly given that she was married 8 times, she shows up again here with us in the recap of the 1950’s. Four times (Conrad Hilton, Michael Wilding, Mike Todd and Eddie Fisher). :-)

A History Of Engagement Rings, Vol. 4: The 1950’s

Last week in A History Of Engagement Rings we talked about one of the greatest jewelry collectors of modern times: Liz Taylor. Oddly enough, or maybe not so oddly given that she was married 8 times, she shows up again here with us in the recap of the 1950’s. Four times (Conrad Hilton, Michael Wilding, Mike Todd and Eddie Fisher). 🙂

But then again, Audrey Hepburn, Princess Margaret (Queen Elizabeth’s sister), Ethel and Robert Kennedy, Jayne Mansfield and Dihann Carroll are all married in the decade too. None of them as many times as Liz, however.

The rings of the 50’s were making the turn into more retro modern styles (think swoops and swirls of rubies and emeralds tucked into heavy rose gold bands, but also reminiscent still of the Art Deco period with larger center stones (more so that we’ll see as we head back into time) and we see greater detail on the bands, like engraving or braiding.

We can thank Ms. Hepburn for introducing us to the idea of stacked bands. Princess Margaret received a ruby surrounded by a halo of diamonds, said to resemble a rose (her middle name was Rose).

Ethel Kennedy’s ring was fairly traditional (from photos, it looks to be a larger center stone with baguette diamonds on each side) and she has been seen to still be wearing it in photos as recent as a couple of years ago.

Jayne Mansfield, who was married three times before her untimely death at age 34, received a 10ct stunner from Miklós Hargitay, her second husband.

Whether they were traditional round brilliant cuts or rose gold ruby laced sprays of diamonds, the 50’s were a gateway to new designs and a boon for diamond wholesalers.