By Maria Doulton
Last night, Lady Gaga announced on Instagram that she was engaged to long-time boyfriend Taylor Kinney, by posting a picture of her new heart engagement ring. Carefully posed, the picture shows the white, heart-shaped diamond on Lady Gaga's manicured finger.
Kinney proposed on Valentine's Day with this impressive heart engagement ring by Lorraine Schwartz, which I would guess is approximately 8.00 carats. A bespoke design made especially for Lady Gaga, whose birth name is Stefani, Kinney and Lorraine planned a surprise on the reverse of the ring: the letters "TS" spelled out in diamonds on the band. Assuming it is an F colour or above, and with good clarity, that would put its value in the range of at least £350,000 or $500,000.
Heart engagement rings are the most romantic of diamond cuts, so it is not surprising that the starry-eyed and indulgent Lady Gaga said "Yes" when presented with it. The heart diamond not only looks pretty on the hand, it is also one of the most expensive diamond cuts.
The heart is a modified pear cut, with a triangle lopped out of the top. The reason heart-shaped diamonds of this size are rare is because of the waste involved in cutting this complex shape. Diamantaires are rightly cautious of cutting a large, top-quality stone in this shape as, much like a doughnut or polo mint, you are paying for the bit that isn't there.
Lady Gaga's is a particularly pretty heart engagement ring as the proportions are just right. If the diamond cut is too wide, the stone looks bulky, too narrow and it looks stretched. The proportions of this diamond ring are spot on, as is the size for her hand.
Lady Gaga's heart-shaped diamond ring is bound to set off a trend for heart engagement rings, so here is our selection of some options for would-be Little Mrs Monsters.
