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Throughout her life, Jackie Kennedy was a style icon, including her first lady looks that sparked fashion movements. But one of her poignant pieces, her engagement ring from Jack Kennedy, was not entirely her doing. When Jack Kennedy proposed to Jackie Bouvier in 1953, it wasn't with a ring. That came later. When asked by reporters why her left ring finger was bare at the time, she said, "Jack and I have looked at dozens. Some I didn't like, and others weren't the right type" (via Vogue). Reportedly, Jack's father, Joseph Kennedy, went to Van Cleef & Arpels in NYC and picked out a toi et moi (French for "you and me") piece with a 2.88-carat diamond and 2.84-carat emerald at the center, accented with additional diamonds down the sides of the band. At the time, it was a unique celebrity engagement ring that broke the mold because it wasn't a classic diamond solitaire.
While Kennedy would reignite this jewelry trend in the 20th century, she wasn't the first famous wife to wear a toi et moi; Napoleon Bonaparte proposed to his future wife, Josephine, with a sapphire and diamond engagement ring in 1796. More recently, celebrities have also embraced the trend, including Ariana Grande and Megan Fox, who both sported toi et moi engagement rings until the relationships ultimately broke off. Regardless, the romantic symbolism behind the design is enduring –- the idea that two souls, represented by the two separate stones, sit together beautifully as one.
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Emerald engagement rings are another big jewelry trend right now
Just as Jackie Kennedy's engagement ring helped to ignite the toi et moi jewelry trend, there's another aspect to her Van Cleef & Arpels stunner that's currently popular with brides-to-be: emeralds. There are non-traditional engagement rings for every type of bride, and rich green stones are featuring heavily on left ring fingers right now. Maybe social media is to blame. Seeing very similar diamond solitaires repeatedly in their feeds may have couples seeking something more unique, and emeralds are a fantastic way to set oneself apart.
Emeralds ooze luxury while making a statement, which is also fitting right now, as minimal pieces are one of the jewelry trends that are firmly outdated in 2026. But as Jackie Kennedy shows, this isn't a flash-in-the-pan trend; emeralds aren't going anywhere, in large part because their meaning is so solid when it comes to celebrating a committed relationship. According to the International Gem Society, emeralds symbolize "wit, eloquence, and foresight," along with "truth ... including determining the sincerity of a lover's oath." All of those feel particularly poignant for a couple crossing onto a new stage of their relationship.
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Read the original article on Glam.
