A Paris Proposal Sealed With A Toi et Moi Ring
A canceled proposal, travel chaos, and a surprise reunion in Paris led to Sydney Brams’ dream engagement—and a custom natural diamond toi et moi ring.
Sydney Brams and David Rifkin after their engagement in Paris. (Courtesy of Sydney Brams)
Newly engaged couple Sydney Brams and David Rifkin feel like they’ve known each other forever—which makes sense because they practically have. “He is my older cousin’s best friend,” explains Sydney, who then turns to David and quips, “You can tell her I was just so gorgelicious that you just couldn’t not talk to me.” He smiles and doesn’t correct her, the joke clearly ringing true. Their engagement, however, was not as straightforward as their meet-cute.
Sydney, a Miami-based influencer with a dedicated fanbase, has been keeping the story close to her chest because of all the moving pieces involved. “This has been such a hard story for me to tell for my followers,” she shares. “I’m like, ‘Do you have twenty minutes?’”
Meet the Expert
- Sydney Brams (@sydneybmichelle) is a Miami-based influencer.
- She has over 80K followers across TikTok and Instagram.
The Proposal Almost Fell Apart—Twice
David shares that he was originally planning on proposing during a trip to New York City. “I was going to propose to her in Central Park. Her best friend lives in New York, and we were setting this whole thing up,” he says. Unfortunately, the entire trip got canceled after Sydney herniated a disc in her back from—no joke—sleeping on too many pillows. “I am Princess and the Pea,” she smiles.
Not only was the trip and proposal canceled, but Sydney found out about the proposal-that-never-was when she accidentally overheard a phone conversation about the plan gone awry. “It would have been magical, according to David, and I was really devastated.” Luckily, David had an even more magical plan up his sleeve.
Sydney had a trip planned to Paris with her mom, and David sneakily coordinated with her parents to surprise her in the City of Love. After a bout of weather delays, missed connections, and rebooked flights, the plan almost didn’t come to fruition—again. At one point, while stuck in South Carolina, Sydney was ready to pack it up and head back home.
“I was sitting in Miami, and then Sydney was trying to call me, complaining about how awful the time she was having, and I had to pretend I wasn’t sitting at an airport trying to meet her there,” recalls David. Sydney’s mom was aware of the plan and made sure the two of them made it to Paris—all in the name of love.
How David Pulled Off a Surprise Paris Proposal
With so many road bumps, it would have been easy for this plan to be spoiled for Sydney as well, but luckily, when David finally showed up in Paris, it was a total surprise—even after Sydney overslept and missed the meeting time with David, unbeknownst to her. “I sat underneath a bridge with a stranger for two and a half hours,” says David. “I also got a little bit sunburned in the process. It was very funny.” You know a man is head over heels when he can find humor in a stressful situation!
When Sydney finally showed up at the picturesque location by the Seine, she was in total shock to see David down on one knee with a ring. “I went non-verbal for four hours,” she jokes. “And I got very flustered because all of a sudden people started cheering.”
David recalls, “I got down on one knee, and I started to give her the speech she had told me she wanted, and she’s just like, ‘Stop it, stop it! No!’” The couple laughs as they recall the comedy of errors. “I was like, ‘Don’t do it, don’t do it. Everything that I told you? Don’t do any of it,’” Sydney adds.
Because she was so flustered during the actual proposal, Sydney wanted to recreate the moment during their time in Paris to make sure she got the perfect photo. “We got engaged seventeen times because I just had him keep reenacting it. I was like, ‘This is a cute spot, get down.’”
“I was jet lagged, and it wasn’t an easy road to get to Paris,” she adds. “So, it was a very strange feeling. I was so overjoyed, but my brain couldn’t make sense of it. But it was the happiest week of my life, it was so fun.”
Sydney Brams’ Yellow Diamond Toi et Moi Engagement Ring
One thing that stayed on course the entire time, however, was the stunning natural diamond engagement ring from Hamilton Jewelers, a toi et moi featuring a pear-shaped white diamond and an emerald cut yellow diamond. “I’m very, very picky and David felt that, up until this point in his life, this would be his biggest purchase, so he wanted me to get exactly what I wanted.” Sydney was involved in the design process in the beginning, but once it came to finalizing details, David took over, so the final product could be a surprise.
“We had a previous relationship with Hamilton, and I knew that I wanted a custom style, the toi et moi, and I knew that I wanted a colored stone,” says Sydney. Ending up with a yellow diamond felt like a matter of fate. “You always hear, ‘oh you’ll know when you see it,’” she says, a sentiment that rang true for the diamond sourcing process with Hamilton.
Working closely with Ted at Hamilton’s Palm Beach Gardens store was important to Sydney. “It was very difficult finding somebody willing to take on the task of creating a custom ring,” she says, and was elated when the jeweler was up to the task. “I have a slight individuality complex,” she laughs.
“I love the color yellow, and I really wanted a specific shade of yellow.” Something that evoked sunshine and rainbows, according to her mood board. “We had to go through so many shades of yellow to find the right shade. And when we found both stones, I just knew those were the stones that I wanted for my ring,” she says. “I love the fact that everywhere I go, and no matter what I do, I have a little pop of yellow.”
Why a Natural Diamond Ring Was Non-Negotiable
Choosing a natural diamond was very important to David. “I don’t want to start a marriage on the foundation of something that’s considered to be fabricated or not legitimate,” he explains of his choice. “I mean, it’s a sign—the symbolism of a diamond that shows somebody how much you love and care about them.”
“The nature of the ring, the name of the ring, the more feminine pear shape paired with the masculine step cut shape, I really liked that balance,” adds Sydney. “I try to find meaning in everything, I’m one of those people.” The most meaningful thing of all, perhaps, is the billions of years the diamonds spent forming, to end up on her finger, representative of a love to last a lifetime and more. “Now we have an heirloom,” she says, with David agreeing beside her.
