Emily Ratajkowski has confirmed she used her engagement band to make her two new “divorce rings” – and says they were inspired by one of Rihanna’s toe rings.
The 31-year-old model, who was given a two-stone engagement ring said to be worth up to $90,000 by her ex-husband Sebastian Bear-McClard, 36, in 2018, got her fans excited when she showed off her new bling on Instagram on Tuesday (19.03.24) to mark their split, but it was unclear at the time exactly how she had designed the pair of sparklers.
She has now told Vogue: “The rings represent my own personal evolution.
“I don’t think a woman should be stripped of her diamonds just because she’s losing a man.”
Vogue reported the idea to repurpose the rings struck Emily while she was reading her friend Stephanie Danler’s essay ‘The Unravelers’ in The Paris Review.
Emily added: “(It) includes the story of her grandmother’s snake ring—a ring that is made up of the different stones from her various marriages.
“I loved the idea of a ring unabashedly representing the many lives a woman has lived.”
Emily’s “divorce rings” were made in conjunction with her jeweller friend Alison Chemla, the creative director behind the Alison Lou brand.
Emily added about them being inspired by one of Rihanna’s pieces of bling: “I was very inspired by Rihanna’s diamond pinky toe ring; I liked the idea of my former wedding ring ending up on my pinky.
“The princess cut was more challenging. Alison and I worked together to find something that felt fresh but also timeless.
“I was over the original design (of the engagement ring) because it has been copied so many times.
“It didn’t feel special anymore. (Now), I love them so much I haven’t been able to take them off; I’ve been sleeping with them on.
“It was a fun project to work on together amidst a hugely transitional period in my life.
“The ring became symbolic to me – some kind of token or evidence of my life becoming my own again.
“It’s been a crazy couple of years, and finally I feel a sense of peace within myself and about the life and future I have, and will continue to build with my son.
“Somehow, these rings feel like a reminder that I can make myself happy in ways I never imagined.”
Emily’s rings were made using the original engagement ring’s existing stones – one a pear-shaped diamond, and the other a princess-cut rock – as well as platinum and 18-carat yellow gold settings.
Emily sported her sparkling “divorce rings” on the fourth and fifth fingers of her left hand in an Instagram post that appeared to show her lying topless on white bedsheets.
She and Sebastian secretly married at a New York City courthouse in February 2018, two weeks after they were first spotted together on Valentine’s Day.
Four months later, Emily showed off a massive engagement ring from the film producer.
Even though Emily and Sebastian continue to co-parent their son Sylvester, three, she has moved on from their relationship with several flings including with Harry Styles, 30, Pete Davidson, also 30, Eric André, 40, and 37-year-old DJ Orazio Rispo.