< Engagement Rings & Weddings / Engagement Ring Styles
Divorce Diamonds: Why Women Are Trading Wedding Rings for Power Statements
Natural diamonds are being reclaimed by women as symbols of independence, healing, and self-love.
Published: January 21, 2026
Written by: Jill Newman
When The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Rachel Zoe flashed “the divorce ring of her dreams” on social media, she wasn’t mourning, she was celebrating! The message was clear: diamonds aren’t just for engagements anymore. This ring was a symbol of independence, renewal, and unapologetic self-celebration.
Transforming engagement rings post-divorce isn’t new. But now it’s a full-blown movement. From Hollywood A-listers to everyday women, divorcees are reclaiming their diamonds and reworking them into bold, intentional statements of independence. These aren’t consolation prizes. They’re power plays.
Meet the Expert
- Jill Newman is a jewelry authority, editor, and storyteller with over 25 years of experience, having reported from diamond mines in Africa, cutting workshops in India and Belgium, and ateliers around the world.
- She serves as Editor-at-Large for the Natural Diamond Council, with additional bylines in The New York Times, Town & Country, Elle Décor, and Robb Report.
What Is a Divorce Ring?
First things first: what is a divorce ring? It’s a piece of jewelry chosen or reimagined after a marriage ends. A divorce ring is less about closure and more about clarity, independence, and self-possession. Sometimes it involves resetting diamonds from an engagement or wedding ring; other times it’s an entirely new acquisition, bought on one’s own terms. Either way, it shifts the diamond’s meaning from partnership to power, transforming a once-bridal symbol into something personal, intentional, and forward-looking.
Emily Ratajkowski and Rachel Zoe Redefine the Diamond Divorce Ring
The narrative around divorce has shifted. It’s no longer framed as a flop; it’s a pivot, a page turn, a recalibration. The term “divorce diamond” entered our vocabulary in early 2024, when model Emily Ratajkowski flaunted two newly reset stones following the end of her marriage, sending social media ablaze. These diamond rings weren’t about bitterness; they were about ownership, owning your story. For most women, like Ratajkowski, it’s not an F-you act. It’s a reclamation. A way to honor the past while embracing the future.
The fact is that roughly 40 percent of marriages end in divorce. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still wear a gorgeous solitaire diamond ring. Zoe, who split from her husband of more than two decades, marked her newfound status by purchasing an oval-shape diamond. She collaborated with Ring Concierge on a thoroughly modern design with matching oval side stones, set with barely any visible metal. The result is minimalist, shimmering, and entirely forward-looking.
Jacquie Aiche’s 8-Carat Diamond Divorce Ring Marks a New Chapter
Then there’s Los Angeles-based jewelry designer Jacquie Aiche. She marked her divorce over a year ago with a new 8-carat marquise-cut diamond power ring, framed by two Cadillac-cut side stones and worn on her right ring finger.
“My marquise diamond divorce ring symbolizes a fresh start,” said Aiche, known for her symbolic, bohemian aesthetic. “I was drawn to the marquise shape for its strength and femininity. It feels bold and intentional, just like this chapter of my life.”
If historically the diamond ring represents everlasting love and commitment, the divorce diamond is equally significant. As Aiche puts it: “It’s a talisman of self-love, self-worth and self-appreciation.”
And the reinvention doesn’t stop at rings. Aiche repurposed her round solitaire wedding diamond into an evil eye pendant necklace, as a charm for protection and good juju.
Brooks Nader Joined the Club With a 9-Carat Diamond Divorce Ring
Model Brooks Nader also joined the movement in 2024, debuting a striking nine-carat offset pear-shaped diamond on a pared-back gold band. “Why should guys have all the fun?” she told People. “This is my divorce ring.” The star—who also repurposed her engagement ring from ex-husband Billy Haire into a pinky ring—continues to embrace diamonds as symbols of autonomy rather than attachment.
Ratajkowski echoed that sentiment in Vogue: “I don’t think a woman should be stripped of her diamonds just because she’s losing a man.” She collaborated with Alison Chemla of Alison Lou to divide her toi et moi engagement ring into two solitaires: a 3-carat plus akimbo-set pear-shaped diamond worn on her pinky, and a 3-carat plus princess-cut diamond flanked by trapezoid-cut diamonds. Both are powerful, personal, and purposely non-bridal.
Divorce Diamonds: How Engagement Rings Become Power Jewelry
Jeweler Jade Trau, founder of Jade Trau in New York, says today’s redesigns are intentionally not meant to resemble wedding jewelry. “They’re about style and agency,” she explains. Trau transformed her own 2-carat round rose-cut diamond engagement ring into a pinky ring on a yellow gold band that she wears stacked with other rings.
“It’s a stone for my two boys and me because it marks 15 years of marriage,” she explains. “I didn’t want to sell it. I still love the stone. Now it represents another chapter in my story.”
Because more women are divorcing later in life, Trau says many don’t necessarily need to sell their diamonds for cash. One client left her 2.5-carat diamond in a drawer for three years before turning it into a solitaire pendant, using the side pear-shaped stones for a new gold bangle. “It symbolized protection,” says Lustig. “Like, I can do this myself. I don’t need a man for happiness—or a ring.”
Another divorced client missed wearing a statement diamond and purchased a new 4-carat pear-shaped diamond for more than $60,000. “She wears it on her middle finger and calls it her ‘boss ring,’” Trau says.
Why the diamond over other gemstones? Trau is blunt: “They have universal appeal. They last forever. And a diamond simply goes with everything.”
Ashley Zhang on Reinventing Divorce Diamonds Beyond Rings
Designer Ashley Zhang agrees. She’s helped divorced women transform their diamonds into bracelets, necklaces, and new rings. “People tend to want bigger diamonds in pendants and bracelets now,” she says. “They are wearing fine jewelry more casually.” Putting the diamond in an entirely new piece helps reframe its engagement ring context.
Some clients have considered selling their diamonds outright, but Zhang cautions against it, especially during divorce proceedings, when jewelry can be considered a divisible asset. “Better to keep the diamond and reimagine it.”
Diamond divorce rings are absolutely here to stay. Women are hardworking and independent. We’re fully capable of buying powerful jewels for ourselves. It’s a statement of celebration, not loss.
At a time when nearly half of marriages end in divorce, the diamond’s enduring value—both emotional and financial—feels newly relevant.
“Diamond divorce rings are absolutely here to stay,” affirms Aiche. “Women are hardworking and independent. We’re fully capable of buying powerful jewels for ourselves. It’s a statement of celebration, not loss.”
