Gone are the days when women wait for somebody else to “put a ring on it.” Ladies, single or not, are splurging on themselves and buying all types of gems, including diamonds – to wear on their right hand.

Lot 199: Diamond and White Gold Ring, Fall 2019.

As more and more women spend their own money on luxuries like jewellery, the newest version of right-hand rings is an important jewellery trend. Certainly, wearing a bright, dramatic cocktail or dinner ring has always been a way to express individual style and make a major fashion statement. The contemporary notion of a right-hand ring is a continuation of the idea of embracing one’s independence, celebrating major life moments and maybe even challenging societal norms.

What about the left hand

In the West, the left hand has traditionally been reserved for the wearing of rings that celebrate and indicate official commemorative events like an engagement, a wedding or an anniversary. We can give credit to the ancient Romans who believed that a vein of love directly connected the heart to the third finger on the left hand. A right hand jewel can be less fraught with any intentional meaning – they don’t necessarily always have to carry their own significance but can be customized to suit every individual and situation.

Diamond and Platinum Eternity Ring, by Graff. Sold for $18,000, Fall 2017.

Roots of the contemporary right-hand ring

An extremely successful DeBeers advertising campaign in the early 2000s was aimed at encouraging any woman, no matter her matrimonial status, to invest in diamond jewellery, on her own terms and at her own discretion. The ad promoted non-engagement, non-solitaire style designs, set with a multitude of small and tiny diamonds, and was summed up with this tagline: “Your left hand rocks the cradle. Your right hand rules the world.” Whether as a personal purchase or received as a gift, this inspired concept shows no signs of abating.

A right-hand ring can celebrate the birth of a child, the gem laden gift known as a “baby bauble”; an eternity band can denote a special anniversary or graduation. They can also be heirlooms, with no romantic connotation. passed down through generations. However, more commonly, they are rings that women have gifted to themselves: to mark a promotion, a milestone birthday, or even a change in matrimonial status such as a divorce. Stacked bands are a very popular look, set with either contrasting gems in white, yellow and pink gold or an allover monotone aesthetic in platinum.

Right hand jewels can still mean wedding bells

The right-hand ring is a way for women to truly express themselves, not simply advertise their marital status, however, this practice can change depending on where you are in the world.

Diamond Solitaire and White Gold Ring, Fall 2019

In Canada and the United States, engagement and wedding rings are traditionally worn on the left hand. Yet, it’s actually has been customary to wear those tokens of love on the right hand in many European countries, including Greece, Germany, Spain and Poland. German tradition has the engagement ring move from the left hand to the right after the wedding, while in Brazil and Turkey, the opposite is true. In some regions in China, woman wear their wedding band on the right hand. In the past, in a different attitudinal climate, some in the LGBTQ community, opted to wear wedding bands on the right hand to indicate a relationship.

Perhaps the best part about a right-hand ring is that there are no hard and fast rules about why or when to wear one: celebrate love for a partner (or yourself), honour an occasion, start a conversation with a statement piece. In fact, you don’t even need a reason to rock a right-hand ring, but there are certainly many great ones.

Selection of rings from upcoming auction.