The Diverse Engagement Rings From Our Very Own Office

It’s probably safe to say we all—whether engaged, married, looking, or none of the above—enjoy hearing (or in this case reading) about always sweet and often funny engagement stories… especially when accompanied by a photo. In fact, there are entire Instagram accounts and Pinterest boards dedicated to this very occasion, none of which are short on followers, as you may have noticed. So we thought we’d take the time to poll the women in our very own CMG office (which, if you don’t know, includes our friends over at Byrdie, MyDomaine, Obsessee, SHOP/Who What Wear, and CollegeFashionista) to share their engagement rings and stories with us and all of you.

Scroll through to see the dreamy and diverse photos, read about each, and then of course shop some of our favorite rings!

"My fiancé actually had my ring custom-made for me. We are both from Kentucky and moved to New York last spring, and he created the ring so that it had parts from both cities—the band was made in Kentucky, and then it was sent to New York to have the diamond put in. I love having a story behind it—knowing that so much thought was put into it makes it even more special to me.”

"I wanted something simple and classic but also uniquely my own. My fiancé proposed to me at Sunset Tower Hotel in Los Angeles with an oval diamond ring in rose gold (my favorite) with diamonds around the band—a perfect combination of timeless style and my personality. I couldn’t be more in love.”

"This is a vintage ring from the ’20s. I adore it because it’s one of a kind. When I saw it, I sent it to my husband—who I’d been dating for five years—and told him, ‘You’re out of excuses.’”

"I love my ring, well, because it’s absolutely exactly what I told my fiancé I wanted. (I gave him the pic that has circulated on Pinterest a million times and can be seen here.) We’ve been dating since high school—almost nine and a half years—so the question we’ve been getting for forever is When are you getting married? and my reply was always that if I was going to be with Travis forever either way, I might as well hold out for the ring I always wanted. It was definitely worth the wait!”

"My husband surprised me with the perfect low-key engagement and, even better, emerald-cut ring after dating for over eight years. He knew what shape I liked and really outdid himself—it means everything to me. We just got married, and we’re so excited to see what our future holds!”

"I wanted a ring that was a symbol of the love my fiancé has for me—something unique and different. We have been friends since we were teenagers and had our first kiss at an exhibit for our favorite artist. My fiancé designed the ring, picked the stone, and had the flower from the artist engraved on the inside of the band, which is the sweetest touch and makes it even more precious because it’s tied to such a pivotal moment in our relationship.”

"This is technically a cocktail ring since it’s a ’40s antique. My wife and I shopped together, and at our favorite little consignment shop of the day, this 3/4-carat diamond piece was actually the only ring that fit my finger. We left because it was a tad outside our budget, but about halfway down the block, we turned back. It’s such a standout that we kept the wedding band super simple. Haven’t regretted it a day since.”

"My husband proposed the night before we were leaving to spend two weeks in Italy. Since we were heading off on vacation, I had ducked out of work early to get a few pre-trip beauty treatments, including getting my brows and lashes tinted. Upon arrival, I asked for my brows to be a very light brown and my lashes to be as dark as possible. In an unfortunate turn of events, the women doing the tinting put the black-as-night eyelash tint on my eyebrows, turning them the most unnatural combo of jet black with navy undertones. (Also worth mentioning that I have light blond hair.) It was the first time I’ve ever cried over a beauty treatment. I truly looked like a scary clown/mime, and every time I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, the waterworks would start again. I came home a teary mess, refusing to take off my sunglasses or lift the hood of my jacket for my then-boyfriend to see. A few hours later, when a few glasses of wine had sufficiently calmed me down, my luck turned around when my now husband pulled this ring out with a bottle of champagne, got down on one knee, and popped the question.”

"I stumbled upon an antique jewelry store on Melrose and immediately fell in love with this ring from the 1920s. It was bold and had unique and intricate detailing on the crown. It was a round diamond, but I love that the three small prongs on all four corners of the diamond made it almost look like a cushion cut. I also loved the idea that someone, nearly 100 years ago, had worn this ring, and I dreamed up stories about who this wonderful woman was and all the things she did. I saw tons of other rings after that (to see what else was out there), but I kept going back to this one. To my relief, when my husband proposed he presented me with the ring I loved. It was much more sparkly than I remembered it (he got it cleaned up!). I absolutely love looking at it every day, especially in different light—it sparkles so differently wherever I am. I love the idea that it will live for hopefully another 100 years and someone special will own it after me (if I ever take it off my finger!).”

"I jokingly sent my best friend a picture of my dream ring and had no idea she had helped my fiancé make my dreams come true. He actually made a slight change and added a hidden halo to the main stone, so I love that it has a personal touch. When he proposed, I was so caught up in the moment, I didn’t care about what was in that box. I was so happy to know we’d be spending the rest of our lives together. He finally asked if I even wanted the ring, when I finally looked at it, there was no way I was letting it go!”

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Do you have a sweet story? Share it with us and our readers in the comments!