Why Chrissy Teigen's Original Ring Still Wins: A Gemologist Grades Her Cushion Cut (And the Upgrade)
By Daniel Carter, Gemologist | June 30, 2026 | Driona Jewels Blog
John Legend made a technically smart call in 2011. Chrissy Teigen's cushion cut engagement ring is approximately 5 to 6 carats, four-prong set on a platinum pavé diamond band, a design that remains as relevant today as it was when he proposed on Christmas in the Maldives. I've graded a lot of diamonds, and my honest assessment: the shape choice here is excellent. The setting amplifies it perfectly. And the price ($162,000 to $260,000 depending on the source) is exactly what a natural diamond of this quality commanded at the time. But there's a second chapter to this ring story that nobody's covered properly. After their 10th anniversary vow renewal in Lake Como, Chrissy was spotted wearing a new ring: a cushion solitaire on a simpler gold band, clearly a design evolution. Two rings. One shape. A lot to learn from both.
What Does Chrissy Teigen's Engagement Ring Actually Look Like?
The original ring, chosen by Legend himself, features a cushion-cut white diamond center stone estimated at 5 to 6 carats. It sits in a four-prong solitaire setting, one of the most secure and time-tested configurations in fine jewelry. The band is platinum, set with small pavé diamonds running continuously around it.
Chrissy has said she had no part in designing it. She'd never even heard of a cushion cut before the proposal. (Her words to Oprah: "I see the little box, and then, you know, your heart stops.") What's remarkable is that what Legend chose unprompted is one of the most enduring diamond shapes in fine jewelry history. After their 2013 wedding in Lake Como, she began stacking the ring between two diamond eternity bands, adding layers of sparkle to an already strong foundation.
Why Did John Legend Choose a Cushion Cut? (Daniel Carter Weighs In)
My verdict: it's a well-chosen shape for this kind of stone. Here's what people miss about cushion cuts.
A cushion has larger facets than a round brilliant, which means it shows more fire (the rainbow-colored light dispersion you see at different angles) rather than pure white sparkle. The effect is spectacular in natural and low light alike. That's part of why cushions have stayed fashionable since the Victorian era. They look alive indoors in a way that rounds sometimes don't.
There's also a color advantage. Cushion cuts are more forgiving on color grade than rounds, so you can go a step lower on the GIA color scale without it being obvious, especially when set in platinum or white gold. For a 5 to 6 carat stone where color grades have a massive impact on price, that's a meaningful practical benefit.
And then there's the length-to-width ratio. Standard cushion cuts sit around 1.00 to 1.05 (nearly square), which creates the classic "pillow" silhouette. The elongated cushion, now trending in 2026 according to Forbes's engagement ring trend analysis, goes above 1.15 for a more modern look. Chrissy's ring is the traditional square proportion. My opinion: it's the better long-term choice. Elongated cushions are having a moment, but the square cushion doesn't date.
Other celebrities who've gone cushion cut include Sofia Vergara and Jennifer Aniston. As we covered in our look at Kim Kardashian's engagement ring history, she wore a cushion cut before eventually moving to a different shape. Chrissy went in the opposite direction: when she upgraded, she stayed cushion. That tells you something.
What Does the Pavé Band Actually Do for a Cushion Cut Diamond?
More than most people realize. And it's deliberate.
A cushion cut's large facets can make a plain solitaire ring look slightly heavy at this size. The pavé band solves this without adding a halo. The small diamonds on the band catch ambient light from angles the center stone can't reach, reflecting that light back toward the center stone. The result: the whole ring looks brighter than a plain-band version of the same diamond. It's a multiplier effect, not just decoration.
That's exactly what we analyzed in Emily Blunt's Edwardian engagement ring, the pavé and micro-pavé in older-style settings serve the same function. Whether it's a 1911 Edwardian design or a 2011 Legend commission, the principle hasn't changed: a well-placed pavé band amplifies the center stone without competing with it.
For anyone buying a cushion cut now, this is the takeaway: don't go plain band at larger carat weights unless you're actively choosing the architectural minimalism of the upgrade look (which we'll get to). At anything over 2 carats, a pavé or at least a thin diamond band pays off visually.
How Much Is Chrissy Teigen's Engagement Ring Really Worth?
Based on estimates from independent jewelry experts consulted by Hello Magazine, including Jessica Flinn-Allen of Flinn & Steel: $162,000 to $260,000. That range reflects real-market variation for a 5 to 6 carat, high-quality natural cushion-cut diamond in platinum, circa 2011.
That same ring in a certified lab-grown diamond today: roughly $15,000 to $30,000. In moissanite: under $3,000. I'll keep saying this plainly. The visual difference is negligible. The hardness of a lab diamond is identical to mined (10 on the Mohs scale). The optical properties of a cushion cut moissanite are arguably more dramatic, with slightly higher fire than diamond. The $200,000-plus gap buys provenance, not beauty.
Did Chrissy Teigen Get a New Ring? (The 2023 Upgrade, Explained)
Yes. And this is the part that nobody else has put together properly.
After their 10-year vow renewal in Lake Como in September 2023 (returning to the city of their original 2013 wedding), Chrissy appeared on Instagram wearing what appears to be a different ring: a cushion-cut solitaire on a clean, simple gold band. No pavé band. Larger-looking center stone. The shift was noted by several jewelers on Instagram who flagged it as a design upgrade, same shape, different philosophy.
What changed? My read: her taste evolved. The original ring was designed to make a statement with its pavé band and elaborate presence. The 2023 version is cleaner, quieter, more architectural. One stone. One band. Let the diamond do all the work. That's a very specific aesthetic that a lot of buyers arrive at after years of wearing jewelry, you stop wanting things to compete and start wanting things to be clear.
This kind of ring evolution is actually more common than people think. We covered a version of this when looking at Kate Hudson's three-ring journey, each ring she's worn reflects a different chapter, not a failure of the previous one.
What Do Chrissy's Two Rings Reveal About Cushion Cut Longevity?
Here's the clearest thing: she stayed with the cushion cut. Both times. That's not nostalgia. That's confirmation.
The cushion cut has been around since the 1800s. It predates the round brilliant. It survived Art Deco minimalism, the emerald cut obsession of the 70s, the halo craze of the 2010s, and now the elongated shape trend of the mid-2020s. It's currently having another strong moment, Zendaya chose an elongated cushion for her engagement ring and it immediately became one of the most copied shapes of 2026. The Teigen-Legend love story and their Lake Como wedding keep resurfacing in bridal culture precisely because the aesthetic holds up.
If you're worried about choosing a ring shape that dates itself in ten years, the cushion cut is one of the safest bets in fine jewelry. Chrissy Teigen literally upgraded to another one.
How Do You Get the Chrissy Teigen Look with Lab-Grown Diamonds or Moissanite?
You don't need $200,000. You need the right cut, the right setting, and clarity on what you're actually buying. Here's how the options compare:
| Feature | Chrissy's Original (Mined) | Lab-Grown Diamond | Moissanite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carat weight | 5–6 ct natural | 5–6 ct (identical hardness & optics) | 5–6 ct (slightly higher fire than diamond) |
| Approx. price | $162K – $260K | $15K – $30K | $500 – $2,500 |
| Setting option | Platinum pavé band | 14k or 18k gold, pavé or solitaire | Sterling silver to 18k gold |
| Certification | GIA (mined stone) | IGI (lab-grown standard) | Brand cert or GIA grading report |
| Driona option | N/A | Cushion Solitaire from $477 | Cushion Solitaire from $477 |
Three Driona options worth looking at, depending on which version of Chrissy's ring speaks to you:
The closest match to Chrissy's original: cushion cut center stone on an ornate, detailed band. Available in moissanite or lab-grown diamond, from 925 sterling silver to 18k gold.
For the amplified-sparkle effect of Chrissy's pavé band, but with a full halo framing the center stone. Warm rose gold adds a modern twist on the platinum original.
The boldest of the three. Maximum presence, cluster setting, significant visual impact. This is the spirit of the 2023 upgrade: one statement stone, uncompromised.
One more practical note: the metal color you choose will change how the cushion cut reads against your skin. Platinum and white gold keep the look closest to Chrissy's original. Yellow and rose gold give the stone a warmer, more romantic feel. Neither is wrong. But it's worth thinking about before you choose, because the band changes the whole character of the ring.
Always ask for an IGI certificate on any lab-grown diamond you buy. If the seller can't provide one, walk away. And for the full picture of which celebrity rings are shaping cushion cut demand right now, our celebrity engagement ring inspiration guide covers the current landscape.
FAQ: Chrissy Teigen's Engagement Ring
What kind of engagement ring does Chrissy Teigen have?
Chrissy Teigen's engagement ring is a cushion-cut diamond solitaire of approximately 5 to 6 carats, set in a four-prong platinum setting on a pavé diamond band, gifted by John Legend during a Christmas proposal in the Maldives in 2011. In late 2023, after their vow renewal in Italy, she was spotted with what appears to be a new cushion solitaire on a cleaner gold band, the same shape, a different aesthetic chapter.
How many carats is Chrissy Teigen's engagement ring?
The center stone is estimated at 5 to 6 carats by multiple independent jewelry experts. That's a visual estimate, no official certificate has ever been released. At that size, the cushion cut's large facets make the stone appear even bigger than the carat weight suggests, which is one of the shape's practical advantages.
How much did John Legend spend on Chrissy Teigen's ring?
The original ring is estimated between $162,000 and $260,000 based on assessments by industry experts, reflecting the mined diamond market of 2011. That same ring as a lab-grown diamond today runs $15,000 to $30,000. As moissanite, under $3,000. The visual difference is not something most people could identify without a gemological instrument.
Did Chrissy Teigen get a new ring?
Yes. Following their 10th anniversary vow renewal in Lake Como in 2023, Chrissy was seen wearing a new cushion-cut solitaire on a simple gold band, notably different from her original platinum pavé setting. The change was noted by jewelers who tracked the ring shift on social media. She kept the cushion cut. She changed the setting philosophy.
Is a cushion cut diamond a good choice for an engagement ring?
Yes, and I'd argue it's one of the best choices in fine jewelry. A cushion cut delivers excellent fire and brilliance, suits everything from pavé bands to plain solitaire settings, costs 20 to 30 percent less than a comparable round brilliant diamond, and has remained fashionable since the 1800s. The rounded corners also make it more resistant to chipping than princess or marquise cuts for everyday wear. Chrissy Teigen wearing two of them is a reasonable endorsement.
Can I get a ring like Chrissy Teigen's without spending $260,000?
Yes. A lab-grown diamond or moissanite cushion cut in the same silhouette starts under $500 at Driona Jewels, with options up to around $2,500 depending on metal choice and stone size. The visual result is comparable to the original. You're paying for provenance with a mined diamond, not for beauty. The cushion cut itself, the pavé band, the solitaire aesthetic: all of it is accessible in lab-grown or moissanite without compromise on what actually matters in a ring you'll wear every day.
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