By Gary A.
Edited by Brian M.
Published Aug 8, 2024
Edited on Nov 4, 2024
Toi et Moi rings are the epitome of timeless romance, bringing together two stones in a design that celebrates the unique bond between two people.
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There are a lot of things that the French say best of all. Who doesn’t feel tempted by la vie en rose? To be told, ‘Tu as de beaux yeux?’ or, best of all, ‘Je t’adore’ – particularly when it’s proposal season?
That French mastery of romance has, as you might expect, found its way into the world of engagement rings and bridal jewelry. The toi et moi ring, which translates to the ‘you and me ring – we told you things sound better in French – is the very pinnacle of romantic symbolism, and it’s at a particular highpoint right now in terms of its popularity.
From Ariana Grande to Megan Fox, find out why everyone’s hearts are fluttering over toi et moi rings.
Before we dive deeper into the specifics, here are some practical tips to help guide your decision-making process:
Now that you’ve got these practical tips, use Jeweler AI below to find the perfect engagement ring that suits your style and budget:
The symbolism is simple but powerful: two diamonds, two people.
While the diamond solitaire stands as a beautiful, timeless representation of the singularity of the love between the couple – and the three-stone engagement ring offers a representation of the past, present, and future – a two-stone engagement ring immortalises each partner in a single cohesive design.
It’s a beautiful sentiment, and a great way to create something that really is unique. Some people choose to incorporate two diamonds alongside one another, both in the same shape – others choose to represent the couple’s differences from one another in the center stones. They may introduce variants in shape or color, or even compliment the diamond with another gemstone, like a sapphire.
However they choose to do it, the ultimate meaning is undeniably seductive, and it’s no surprise these rings are so popular today.
If you’re feeling seriously tempted by a two stone engagement ring, then you’re in luck — There are more beautiful and creative examples of Toi et Moi rings out there than ever before.
Perhaps one of the most famous is the engagement ring given to Ariana Grande by Dalton Gomez. While the relationship between the two didn’t last, the beauty of the ring will be forever immortalised within the world of jewelry design, not least of all for its original take on the Toi et Moi design.
Featuring a large, Oval cut diamond – probably somewhere between 5 and 7 carats — set asymmetrically on a gold Shank, alongside a Pearl that held sentimental meaning to Ariana, this ring turned heads when the engagement was announced. True, its unorthodox design was a little divisive – some could get behind it, some couldn’t understand it — But there’s no denying it was a head-turner.
Speaking of divisive engagement rings, does anybody remember when Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox announced their engagement? The ring placed on Megan’s finger was memorable to say the least. Featuring a duo of pear cut diamonds – both around 6 carats, one clear and the other a vivid green – set asymmetrically alongside one another on a split shank, the ring was unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, even from Hollywood’s elite. Allegedly, the inside of the Shank was designed to resist removal by catching on Megan’s skin. No comment on whether or not we consider that the height of romance!
While it’s not an engagement ring, the matching set of rings Kylie Jenner designed for her and her daughter, Stormi, to wear is another example of how creative you can get with a Toi et Moi design. Both rings feature a pear and a radiant cut diamond, set on either end of an open shank. The pear diamonds are set in an unusual northeast-southwest direction, while the radiants are vertical.
By now, it should at least be clear that the sky really is the limit when it comes to the design of your two-stone engagement ring. You can stick to a more traditional design, or you can feel free to experiment with the orientation of your diamonds and how they contrast with one another in color, shape, and size.
Proportion is another one that needs to be consistent between the two diamonds, particularly if they are the same shape. Proportion is always important, so you never want to go too far down the scale – but, if your diamonds are the same shape but of differing proportions, That discrepancy could end up being very obvious.
Remember that, depending on the design, a 2 stone engagement ring can feel a little too balanced. The power of Ariana Grande’s engagement ring lies in the asymmetry. While the design may be considered ‘love it or hate it’, it’s hard to imagine that pearl being the same size as the diamond. If that were the case, the ring would look bulky, and over engineered.
Then again, both diamonds in Megan Fox’s engagement ring are approximately the same carat weight. Keep in mind that this is offset by the fact that the diamonds are set asymmetrically. If they were simply placed alongside one another on the ring, then, again, it would likely look too symmetrical.
If you don’t want to play with proportion, then get a little creative with throwing off that sense of over balance. If, on the other hand, you want your diamonds to be two very different sizes, work on finding balance in their arrangement.
Two diamonds mean twice as much thought needs to go into the process of choosing your diamonds. Fortunately, there’s only one set of Four Cs – you don’t need to get your head around eight!
As always, you want to ensure the best cut grade possible. This is true whether you’ve got one, two, or five diamonds on a ring. Cut is what determines the diamond’s ability to sparkle, so you want to get the highest grade possible.
If you’re choosing two diamonds – rather than, say, a diamond in a Pearl like Ariana Grande – then the very best advice we can start off with is to pick diamonds with the same color grade. If you’re planning on one of your stones being a fancy color diamond, then don’t worry about this piece of advice. However, if both of your diamonds are going to be clear – as in the case of Kylie Jenner’s ring set – the only way to ensure that the overall design feels intentional and well-made is to avoid any discrepancy between the tone of one diamond and the next.
This is the same as when you’re choosing a ring with a pavé setting. Slight differences in color, even if they seem minor on paper, will really ruin an otherwise knock-out ring.
It’s a similar story for clarity, but your diamonds don’t necessarily have to be the same grade. So long as both diamonds are eye clean, you won’t notice any discrepancies in quality between the two.
Remember: eye clean is eye clean.
That brings us round to the fourth C: carat. As we mentioned above, choosing diamonds of two different carat weights is a great idea if you want to be creative with proportion. As with a solitaire diamond ring, there are no restrictions on carat weight — Just keep in mind that a two-stone engagement ring will inevitably be quite bulky, and bigger diamonds tend to catch a little more than smaller diamonds.
Then again, don’t let us talk you out of a big diamond!
The diamond industry is filled with creativity and so many different ring styles are being reimagined for contemporary wearers. That said, it’s no secret that the Toi et Moi ring design allows for a huge amount of versatility and creativity. If your style is a little more out there, and you like to turn heads, then this really is the ring design for you.
Besides, you don’t have to push the boat as far out as Machine Gun Kelly to master the Toi et Moi design. A simpler pairing of your two favourite diamond shapes will speak volumes on its own, and may not stir up so much controversy on the Internet…!
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