Listed: The 2024 engagements of Adelaide’s rich and famous including how much to spend on the ring
Ever wondered how much Adelaide’s A-listers spend on their engagement rings? We’ve done the window shopping to break down the 2024 price tags.
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What’s not to love about a celebrity engagement? I mean, “celebrity engagement” has such a nice ring to it.
And we all love gawking at the ring. Especially if it has a super-sized diamond.
That said, to borrow from Barry Manilow’s hit Let’s Hang On (kids, ask your grandparents), which was a cover of a mega-hit for The Four Seasons (kids, ask your great-grandparents): That little chip of diamond on your hand ain’t a fortune babe, but you know it stands for your love …
As in, size doesn’t matter when it comes to diamonds.
Oh, and speaking of chips, the engagement ring doesn’t even have to have a diamond.
For instance when Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney proposed to his now wife Hayley, he popped the question with a Burger Ring.
FYI, the so-called rule of how much to spend on an engagement ring was invented in 1947 by South African diamond mining company De Beers for its “a diamond is forever” campaign: it recommended spending two to three months’ salary on an engagement ring … That’s a bit rich!
But, if you want to get a celebrity style design, read on:
KYLE CHALMERS AND INGEBORG LOYNING
Yes, we love the Olympic rings but we also love the ring Kyle Chalmers presented to his partner Ingeborg Loyning in the lead up to the Paris Games.
Posting photos on Instagram, where King Kyle has more than 170,000 followers, he captioned them with “19.06.24” (sharing the date of their engagement) and the infinity symbol.
Chalmers purchased the unique engagement ring from Class A Jewellers at Walkerville, which recently unveiled its new showroom after a $2m makeover.
“We (made) two rings for Kyle to choose from when he was briefly in Adelaide,” Class A managing director Brad Mucklow told The Advertiser, adding: “Ingeborg’s ring features a round brilliant diamond centre with a floral diamond band.”
While client confidentiality means Class A will never reveal how much Chalmers spent, Mr Mucklow said as a general guide the jeweller’s bespoke engagement rings start at $5000.
“Exact pricing depends on the size, cut, and quality of the stone, as well as the intricacy of the design,” he said.
“The design process is where the magic truly happens, with our workshop right on site – the world is our client’s oyster.
“We collaborate closely with our customers through rounds of revisions, ensuring every detail, from the setting to the stone, meets their vision and exceeds their expectations.”
As for what’s trending, Mr Mucklow said oval diamonds “continue to reign supreme”. “Following Selena Gomez’s engagement featuring a marquise diamond, we’re predicting a resurgence of this elongated, elegant shape in the months to come,” he said.
BRODIE SMITH AND LISA MCCARTHY
Brodie Smith and his partner have had quite the year.
The couple tied the knot in November at Cobb’s Hill Estate in Oakbank, but back in January the Crows veteran defender and his then girlfriend Lisa McCarthy took to Instagram to share the happy news of their engagement – and a close up pic of her beautiful ring.
The oval halo engagement ring was by Adelaide’s Andrew Mazzone Design Jeweller, which specialises in one-of-a-kind designs.
“You bring me endless happiness, joy, care, empathy and love,” Ms McCarthy wrote, adding: “I will forever be yours.”
While client confidentiality means Andrew Mazzone will never spill the details of the ring, the jeweller was happy to talk about what’s in.
“Oval cut diamonds remain very popular with elongated shapes like the radiant cut, emerald cut and marquise cut diamonds also on trend,” Mr Mazzone said.
The swing back to yellow gold jewellery continues and we believe this will remain a favourite choice in 2025.”
Should you wish to pop the question with a similar ring to Ms McCarthy’s or want to drop a hint, Andrew Mazzone has a similar style on its website, where a custom-made oval cut diamond solitaire engagement ring with diamond sides starts from $3980.
TOM DOEDEE AND EMILY BRUGMAN
When former Crow and now Brisbane Lion Tom Doedee asked long-term partner, Emily Brugman, to marry him, he did so with an oval cut diamond solitaire engagement ring. Sharing the news on Insta, he wrote: Well overdue, but good things come to those who wait. Here’s to forever with you.”
While we weren’t able to find out where Doedee purchased the ring, Andrew Mazzone has a similar style on its website, where a custom-made oval cut diamond solitaire engagement ring is priced from $3500.
RORY LAIRD AND ELL TAYLOR
Crows star Rory Laird and his fiancee Ell Taylor aren’t giving a lot away about their engagement or the ring.
They simply took to Insta with a shared post of a skyline happy snap captioned “we’re engaged” with a ring emoji.
There was not a single close-up pic of the ring to be seen until Ms Taylor shared one in her year-in-review reel.
The snap showed off the three-stone design, which an industry expert told us is symbolic; “representing the past, present and future of a relationship”.
While she did not tag a jeweller, for those who love the three-stone design, Temple & Grace’s Emerald Trilogy Ring – with three emerald cut diamonds – has a price tag of $19,515.
JENNA HUDSON AND YORKE HEATH
Jenna Hudson aka Jenna with the Pink has more than 1.5 million followers on TikTok, but her fiance singer-songwriter Yorke Heath is her biggest fan.
After they competed in a battle round on The Voice – he won and she lost – Heath popped the question.
He presented Hudson with a classic yellow gold solitaire ring featuring a natural round brilliant cut diamond by Adelaide jeweller Gerard McCabe.
Gerard McCabe also observes client confidentiality, meaning we cannot tell you how much the ring cost.
However, it has a Classic 0.44ct Round Cut DVVS2 Diamond Engagement Ring for $5895, on its website.
FYI, staging your proposal on The Voice is an experience money can’t buy, but if one or both, of you can sing and the producers take a shine to you …
Gerard McCabe managing director Jessica McCabe-Moran said traditional style engagement rings were still highly sought after and that “people are investing in quality and size due to the significance of the occasion”.
She said antique engagement rings, including those with “beautiful stories behind the jewellery”, were also in vogue.
“Pre-loved diamond engagement rings are also a sustainable option which is important to our customers,” she said, adding: “Australian gemstones like sapphires and pink diamonds are also growing in popularity for engagement rings.”
LACHIE MURPHY AND MADISON STEER
When Crows forward Lachie Murphy and Madison Steer announced their engagement in a shared post on Insta he couldn’t resist a cheeky caption “Tad lighter in the sky rocket,” adding a ring emoji.
The one-of-a-kind two-stone ring design by Adelaide’s James Thredgold Jewellers symbolises the French meaning of “you and me”.
Fancy a James Thredgold engagement ring? Prices start at $3400 for an 18ct yellow gold Diamond Halo ring.
If, like Murphy, you’re keen on a bespoke design, the jeweller’s design team can create “simple classics, modern masterpieces, and unique elaborate showstoppers”.
MILES BERGMAN AND MEECAH YATES
Could these two be the next Power couple on the Adelaide footy scene?
Port Adelaide young gun Miles Bergman and his fiancee Meecah Yates announced their engagement on Insta in October.
The setting for the proposal was Norway, judging by the picture postcard perfect images of the two looking cosy in their winter woollies against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains.
The photographs included the all-important close-up of the ring, which has a large solitaire diamond.
“Our next chapter together,” Yates captioned the images, adding: “I can’t wait to marry you.” The ring was by Forever By Temptation, in Sydney.
Forever By Temptation’s specialty is bespoke pieces. Its website says “all our jewellery is handmade by master jewellers in Australia, using the finest quality gold”.
It has a Classic 6 Claw 1.50ct Round LAB Diamond Solitaire Ring for $3599 on its website.
And if you also want to copycat the proposal’s destination, two airfares to Norway will cost you at least $3000 in economy class.
The Advertiser has reached out to the jeweller for comment.
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