Rapaport Magazine - September 2019

VOL. 42 NO.9 SEPTEMBER 2019

IS THE TRADITIONAL DIAMOND RING STILL THE BREAD AND BUTTER OF THE JEWELRY INDUSTRY?

NEW RULES OF ENGAGEMENT CUSTOMERS ARE LOOKING FOR NOVEL WAYS TO EXPRESS THEIR LOVE AND COMMITMENT

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INSIDERS

REPORT

DESIGNER

COLLECTION

MEET THE 103-YEAR-OLD PAWNBROKER WHO WON’T QUIT

HOW HIP-HOP IS GIVING MEN’S JEWELRY A BOOST

THE LUSH CREATIONS OF MICHELE DELLA VALLE

600 YEARS OF INDIAN DIAMONDS

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CO N T E N TS Page

26

42 Page

COVER 26 Cover story Modern attitudes toward marriage mean the diamond engagement ring is losing its iconic status, but jewelers say it’s still a top choice.

STYLE & DESIGN

32 Report

40 Jewelry Connoisseur

Men’s jewelry is on the rise thanks to hip-hop and celebrity influences.

Playfully colorful or tastefully neutral, enamel adds a touch of shine.

42 Style

RETAIL

From millennials to LGBTQ+ couples, alternative brides are rocking wedding jewelry, but opting for less conventional choices.

36 Retail profile Day’s Jewelers in the US northeast has built its strategy around values, community, and a tight-knit team.

39 RetailRap What are your plans for the holidays?

IN-DEPTH 16 News

Industry: Will tariffs spoil Christmas?

Retail: Pandora embarks on major overhaul.

Mining: Alrosa adjusts 2019 program.

Movers & shakers: Celebrating new beginnings, honoring the departed.

Italian-born, Geneva-based artist Michele della Valle speaks about his vivid creative process and his love of nature and gemstones.

49 Legacy In a new book, author Diana Scarisbrick explores the allure of diamond jewelry from the 1300s through today.

46 Page

52 Collections Benjamin Zucker has amassed a striking collection of diamonds from India’s Valley of Gems.

54 Colored gemstone Not to be confused with cubic zirconia, zircon comes in an array of hues and can be just as glamorous as a diamond.

22 Interview Jim Duffy, CEO of De Beers’ Tracr diamond-tracking program, envisions a system that connects the whole market.

24 Insiders IMAGES: STOCKSY; SOTHEBY’S; EDWARD AVEDIS

46 Designer

Nearly 30 years after retiring, centenarian pawnshop veteran Leonard Levenson has yet to slow down.

CORRECTION: In the August issue (Page 28), a Boucheron Cigale brooch that sold at Christie’s in November 2018 was mistakenly captioned as a Belperron butterfly brooch sold at Aguttes.

ON THE COVER: Carmella women’s wedding band with diamonds and Artin men’s wedding band, both by Kirk Kara.

MARKETS & PRICING 57 Trade report 59 USA 64 India 67 Israel 69 Antwerp 70 Hong Kong

72 Diamond data 77 Price list 89 RapNet price list 94 Directory 98 Calendar 100 The final cut DIAMONDS.NET

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Note from the publisher

IMAGE: BEN KELMER

I

TAKING ‘EXTREME OWNERSHIP’

t’s rare that one would look to a retired United States Navy SEAL for inspiration in the diamond and jewelry business. But then again, Jocko Willink is a rare individual. This no-nonsense, straight-talking tough guy is an author and leadership coach who specializes in hard-learned, practical advice.

His life and work philosophy revolve around a single concept: “extreme ownership.” In a nutshell, this means taking responsibility for the situation in which you find yourself and developing a plan to resolve it.

The global trade war is heating up as new tariffs go into effect, while many areas of the trade face a lack of liquidity and profitability. Times in our industry are difficult and filled with uncertainty.

There have been bright spots, of course. US retail sales rose again in July, with positive consumer spending in America providing a silver lining to an otherwise gloomy year for the diamond and jewelry industry. But while the strength of spending underlined the robust nature of the world’s biggest economy, the longest economic expansion in the history of the US will not go on forever. No matter what twists and turns await us, a list of reasons not to

succeed in business will always exist. So as an industry, as business leaders and as employees, we need to embrace our inner Navy Seal by taking ownership of where we are and developing a plan to overcome the challenges we are facing.

“No more bowing down to whatever unhealthy or unproductive thoughts float through my mind,” Jocko Willink demands of us. “No. No more. No more waiting for the perfect moment...no more indecision and no more lies. No more weakness. No. No more. Now is the time for strength.”

Our industry is changing. And we need to be the leaders that embrace this change. We need to be the leaders that create not just our own future, but the future of our industry.

John Costello PUBLISHER john.costello@diamonds.net DIAMONDS.NET

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RE P ORT

B OYS

IMAGE: GALLERY STOCK

Men’s jewelry is a growing market thanks to hip-hop and celebrity influences.

BY LARA EWEN

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t seems men are tired of letting women do all the sparkling. In September 2018, The New York Times printed a story about the growing popularity of men’s jewelry, tying the trend to the introduction of men’s fashion weeks and the rise of Instagram. More recently, nauticalcord bracelets, upscale chains, signet rings, and dog-tag-like pendant necklaces have made style headlines in magazines like Forbes and Men’s Health.

But this isn’t new to jewelry store owners.

“The men’s jewelry market has made a big turn in the past few years, especially with a large influence coming from the entertainment industry,” says Zahir Jooma, co-owner of Icebox Diamonds & Watches in Atlanta, Georgia. Jooma, whose familyowned business has served the area for over 40 years, ties some of the demand to the mainstreaming of hip-hop. “If you listen to the big, big rappers, they’re talking about diamonds,” he notes. In the song “Put a Date on It” by rappers Yo Gotti and Lil Baby, for example, a line mentions not only diamonds, but their clarity: “VVS diamonds drippin’ over my t-shirt,” raps Lil Baby.

“Right now, hip-hop is the number-one [music] genre,” says Jooma. “It used to be pop. But now there’s a lot of men rapping about jewelry, and the [listener] demographic is older, and they can afford to buy for themselves.”

While celebrities may drive trends, Jooma — who has plenty of celebrity clients — says his customers also include young professionals, teens whose parents buy them jewelry, and suburban men who drive into the city to visit his store. Many of his clients want to emulate their favorite musicians, athletes and entertainers.

— his customers are not interested in lab-grown stones — are big sellers, as are tennis bracelets, tennis necklaces, and diamond-covered Cuban link chains in white, yellow and rose gold. He says custom pendants, large pinky rings, and athletic championship-style rings are also trending.

Size definitely matters, according to Joseph Aranbayev, co-owner of Avianne & Co., which has been operating in New York since 1999. “The bigger, the better,” declares Aranbayev, whose clients also include celebrities and young professionals.

He says his customers insist on natural diamonds over lab-grown, and that many clients want custom.

“Big chains, big medallions. Everybody wants to put something right up on their chests. It speaks right there. The jewelry says hello right before you even say hello.”

Of course, lots of men also want more low-key pieces. “We need simple, basic stuff, too,” comments Ben Smithee, CEO of consumer consultancy The Smithee Group (TSG), which specializes in digital strategy and millennial marketing. He suggests that classic items such as rings, bracelets and stainless steel cuffs are good entry-level pieces for both customers and retailers. “Ask what allows a man to tell a story about himself,” he says. “My signet ring is a lion, because I’m a Leo and king of the jungle. And it’s something I can wear with shorts and tennis shoes as well as a suit.”

IMAGE: GALLERY STOCK

“IF YOU LISTEN TO THE BIG, BIG RAPPERS, THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT DIAMONDS”

$12K-$20K Average cost of a men’s eternity wedding band at Icebox Diamonds & Watches in Atlanta, Georgia

BRING THE BLING Self-purchasing men are also driving sales at Shyne Jewelers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which has an entertainer- and athlete-driven base as well.

“It’s definitely a culture in Philadelphia,” says Lea D’Onofrio, the company’s business development director of e-commerce. “We’ve seen a strong increase in men self-purchasers investing in jewelry.

Our business here is 85% male self-purchasers, and we only see it increasing.”

Younger men in particular are beginning to buy, she adds. “We find a strong focus in millennial men wearing jewelry. Many men in their late 20s are investing in their first piece of fine jewelry.”

Whereas traditional ideas about men’s jewelry are usually limited to yellow gold chains, tastes have changed, Jooma says. Natural diamonds

MALE-ORDER BRIDAL Regarding prices, Jooma says the average selfpurchase in his store ranges from $7,000 to $10,000, although many items are much higher — $30,000, $50,000, and even $200,000 sales are not uncommon. Those sales also translate into bridal.

“People who buy a lot of jewelry for themselves spend a lot on the engagement ring, and they want higher quality for women than they buy for themselves,” explains Jooma. “They buy large center stones for women, and they also buy a lot of men’s eternity bands to match the rest of their jewelry — a plain band for daily wear.” He says the average men’s eternity wedding band in his store costs between $12,000 and $20,000. When people buy gifts for their male partners, the sales are more modest, ranging from $1,000 to $3,000.

In New York, Aranbayev says men spend an average of $8,000 to $10,000 on self-purchases each time they shop, and that the average price of a men’s diamond wedding band in his shop is $3,000.

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“THERE’S A LOT OF JEWELRY DOLLARS [THAT RETAILERS] ARE LEAVING ON THE TABLE BECAUSE THEY FEEL LIKE IT’S NOT THEIR CUSTOMER”

$10,000 A woman recently spent over $10,000 on a Father’s Day gift at Shyne Jewelers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 34 SEPTEMBER 2019

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“There’s a lot of men who do basic, but in the last 15 years, it’s become flashier, like a big diamond eternity wedding band,” he says. “And everything is custom.”

When it comes to gifts, Aranbayev says many significant others receive accessories that go with items they already own.

“I have a client with numerous custom pieces,” he relates. “For his birthday, his girlfriend came in and bought him something to go with his diamond bracelet.”

Gifts are also big sellers at Shyne, where D’Onofrio says white sapphire initial pendants, costing between $150 and $350, are big sellers.

Of course, many people spend bigger. “A woman recently came in and spent over $10,000 on a Father’s Day gift,” D’Onofrio reports.

Self-purchasers, who overwhelmingly prefer mined diamonds to lab-grown, are heavily investing in gold chains and custom work, she continues — especially in pendants, which start at $1,500 but

INSTAGRAM INROADS The majority of Shyne’s customers find the store via its Instagram account, where it has over 358,000 followers, according to D’Onofrio. “We try to keep our feed organic, and we post throughout the day.

Our clients want to see what we’re working on at the moment.”

Digital is important for Aranbayev, too. “Social media has a big role,” says the New York jeweler, who has over 288,000 followers on Instagram.

“The hip-hop industry has become mainstream, and that culture comes with a lot of men’s jewelry....

It’s trendy, and the more you read about it and hear about it, the more you want to wear it.”

With over 1.8 million Instagram followers, Jooma is clearly embracing his dedicated online following.

But his success is really predicated on knowing his clientele. “Marketing to men is more of a year-round sale,” he elaborates. “Women are more seasonal.

And men buy a lot more fashion. A lot of men are buying their fifth diamond ring or their third diamond watch. The whole culture of collecting watches has moved [instead] to collecting jewelry.”

Companies such as David Yurman, John Hardy, Inox, and Goth Chic are serving the men’s fashion customer, but without enough retailers to stock them, many are going directly to the consumer.

“We’re forcing the men’s consumers online. I shop directly from brands on Instagram,” says Smithee.

“Someone has to be the tastemaker. If I were a jewelry store, locally, I would find men who were Instagram influencers and have them create a men’s audience and a men’s line for me.”

Jooma says retailers looking to dip into the men’s market should start small and build. “Start with items that are actually women’s items, like a ladies’ diamond necklace or a diamond tennis bracelet, but a longer version,” he advises. “You can always cut it shorter and sell it to women. Then you can add some risky men’s pieces, like a large pendant.”

Stores can also tap into the online consumer base themselves. “I see a continued increase in millennial men investing money in jewelry,” says D’Onofrio. “We also see the online market increasing continuously, even in the luxury business, so it’s crucial that we provide the same intimate relationship online that we do to our customers face to face.”

OPEN TO DIVERSITY One of the reasons men’s fashion jewelry hasn’t yet penetrated the market more deeply, suggests Jooma, is that some retailers are not ready to

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IMAGES: MEDIAPUNCH INC/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; SHUTTERSTOCK

can run upward of $50,000 for larger pieces, such as diamond-covered portrait necklaces. “Men want things that are crazy and out of the box,” she says.

Rapper Yo Gotti at the Tidal X: Brooklyn event in New York.

IMAGES: MEDIAPUNCH INC/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; SHUTTERSTOCK

accommodate the customers who seek it out. “Some of these stores are not welcoming to the hip-hop customer who wants hip-hop jewelry,” he says. “But a lot of those stores are suffering, and they can’t have that attitude for long. A lot of people come into our store because they feel respected. We have heard about some jewelry stores not showing love to them, but people who have that attitude will miss out.”

Jooma understands some of the hesitation, from a business standpoint. “The diamond jewelry market is still over 90% women, especially if you [don’t count] bridal,” he notes. “So it does make sense for [the industry] not to dive into men’s jewelry. But a lot of stores are failing, [and] it’s not because people don’t want diamonds. As [men’s jewelry] becomes more prominent, one or two years from now, we’ll see them adding more proven men’s designs.”

Stores that aren’t already courting men may be hurting themselves. “People are missing out on the market,” agrees D’Onofrio. “In Philadelphia, we get a lot of diversity, and people with tattoos on their faces, and piercings and shaved heads. I don’t know if those clients would be helped by associates in some stores. But you have to be able to cater to everybody and take everybody seriously.”

Part of the problem may be that the industry continues to struggle with a changing demographic.

“There’s a big disconnect between white America and urban America, and that’s why white America doesn’t want to accept a large amount of men’s jewelry,” says Aranbayev. “And you have to understand the trends. If you’re talking to a whole bunch of old-timers, they don’t know what’s going on. Traditional studs or earrings or tennis bracelets are nice and all, but there’s a market that hasn’t been tapped into. In the next 20 years, everything will be different. You should just start accepting it now.”

Smithee agrees. “There’s a lot of jewelry dollars [that retailers] are leaving on the table because they feel like it’s not their customer.”

Elsewhere in luxury fashion, brands are already embracing a diverse clientele.

Smithee points to Virgil Abloh, the creator of urban fashion brand Off-White, who is designing at Louis Vuitton. “And there’s people like me who wear a lot of men’s jewelry, who are not hip-hop artists and not biker dudes,” he adds. “Why not serve all those communities?”

Businesses already doing so say the space is lucrative.

“We had some kid come all the way from China,” recalls Aranbayev. “He’s 15-and-a-half years old and he spent a quarter of a million dollars. The kid heard about us through rap music.... That’s how mainstream this is.” ◼

TODD REED:

1.8m icebox #icebox #diamonds #Grillz

Atlanta-based jeweler Icebox’s Instagram followers.

Icebox astronaut pendant in 14-karat white gold with 4.72 carats of diamonds. icebox.com

C

FINDING MR. RIGHT

olorado-based designer Todd Reed has always been a part of the men’s jewelry market, both with his designs and, in recent years, as a standalone retailer.

“In 1992, I had a lot of men’s jewelry, because I’m a guy,” he says. “I always made men’s jewelry and men’s accessories.”

Still, he says, that side of his business hasn’t grown as much as he expected. “I did think men’s would be a big part of my business. But in most jewelry stores, [men’s jewelry offerings are] mostly bridal and not fashion.”

A lot of jewelers just aren’t interested in stocking men’s fashion inventory, he says. “It’s difficult as a designer, because every square foot has to equate to a certain amount of sales, or it doesn’t stay.”

Nonetheless, Reed says male self-purchasers are making an impact. “Our two top customers in our Boulder store are self-purchasing men,” he says. “They buy big funky art jewelry, and they buy big chains and diamonds and stacked bands. And they’re both wanting to do more custom.”

Indeed, he’s looking to design more custom pieces for men, albeit in limited quantities. “Like the rest of my jewelry, I’m trying to make less, and make it more unique.”

Even if he wanted to enter the men’s market more extensively, he continues, it’s not cost-effective right now.

“I’m a small designer. You have to balance the brand and market what’s selling. And to do a men’s campaign, it would have to yield so much return that I don’t think it’s smart.”

The strategy that seems to work best for Reed is connecting with men in person. “Events strategy is the only one that works,” he says. “On Instagram, I have 100,000 followers, and it feels like 99% of that is other jewelers. But at events, I can curate the results and the energy in the room, and I make it what I want.”

And once men become customers, he adds, they’re in it for the long haul. “If men buy something, they’re very loyal.

They find something they like, and they stick to it.”

Todd Reed link bracelet with 5.04 carats of brilliant-cut white diamonds and 3.96 carats of raw diamond cubes in sterling silver. toddreed.com

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COL L ECTIONS

INDIAN BRILLIANCE Benjamin Zucker has amassed a striking collection of diamonds from the country’s Valley of Gems. By Joyce Kauf

Clockwise from top left: The Dutch Rose Jewel; the St. Alban’s Bodkin; Sultan Muhammad of Ghor’s diamond ring; Lotus door at Jaipur City Palace; Hawa Mahal in Jaipur; the Guilhou Renaissance table-cut diamond.

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W

ranks as one of the rare examples of multiple colored hen Benjamin Zucker encountered diamonds featuring in a single piece of jewelry from the diamonds of Jaipur, India, in the 17th century.

1973, it was a “deeply aesthetic and religious experience” for him.

“The shock of white [in] an Indian diamond is so CROSS-CULTURAL LINKS enjamin Zucker extraordinary,” he recalls.

Not only do these jewels feature “absolutely wanted to write Now, almost five decades later, the Benjamin beautiful stones and settings, but the historical novels. A graduate Zucker Collection will go on sale later this month aspect is fascinating,” remarks Hindman. “As a of Yale and Harvard Law at New York gallery Les Enluminures Ltd. Sandra medievalist, as well as a jewelry and manuscript School, he also earned a Hindman, the gallery’s president and founder, dealer, it is one of the most meaningful projects I’ve degree in Irish literature. bought the collection from Zucker several years ago. ever done that shows the cross-cultural link between Diamonds were in his “Diamonds are an incredible vehicle for taking India and Europe. Even with unlimited money, you blood as well: He comes white light and changing it into prismatic colors that couldn’t create a collection of this magnitude now.” from three generations also reflect the inherent whiteness of the diamond — Some of the jewels were previously on display of distinguished diamond if the diamond is cut properly,” says Zucker, a gem at museums such as the Metropolitan Museum dealers, including an uncle dealer and historian. “The light in India, specifically of Art in New York, the Walters Art Museum in who owned the Wittelsbach in Jaipur, is overwhelmingly bright, made Baltimore, Maryland, and the Yale Peabody Blue. But while he was even more so by the heat. The diamonds Museum of Natural History in New Haven, proud of his lineage, he was looked even brighter than they would in Connecticut, among others. However, the ambivalent about joining Antwerp — the Northern Light standard by present collection has never before been the family business — until which all diamonds are judged.” offered for sale. he traveled to India.

The 35-piece collection consists primarily Indeed, it’s being sold in its entirety for On a buying trip for his THE COLLECTION IS of rings, but also includes brooches, hairpins $4 million, with no pieces held back for family, he discovered his BEING SOLD IN ITS passion for collecting. He and earrings. Spanning six centuries, the future sales. “I would like to respect not ENTIRETY FOR has since taken his father’s diamonds came from India’s Valley of Gems, only the quality, but the historical [context] $4 MILLION. advice that he write about which includes the famed Golconda mine, for posterity,” says Hindman, emphasizing diamonds and colored and eventually found their way to the royal her collaboration with Zucker to ensure the stones, authoring three courts of Europe. presentation reflects his wishes. novels based on gems — Having the collection together also lets the viewer White, Blue and Green — with compare the way each of the different cuts refracts EVOLUTION OF CUTTING a fourth in the works. His light, Zucker explains. “Seeing six wonderful pieces In addition to representing some of the most research also inspired a on a table, you can train your eye to see what the important Indian diamonds ever amassed, biography of Elihu Yale, Indian white-light diamond really is.” the collection has a distinctive theme: It shows who founded Zucker’s alma Even after all these years of collecting, he the evolution of diamond-cutting techniques, mater with funds he earned remains in awe of these diamonds. “A diamond is particularly how skilled cutters managed to release trading Indian diamonds. such a specimen of rarity...that comes from below more and more white at each stage. the surface of the earth, shot up with incredible “For hundreds of years, careful people have pressure, found with great difficulty in the ground, been transforming these crystals, passing along and then, precious as it is, given to someone to cut. the secrets from father to son or from master to But once you put a facet on the stone, you can’t go apprentice,” explains Zucker. “What really made back. It’s not like a novel that you rewrite.” it so exciting for me to put this collection together For more information: lesenluminures.com ◼ is that I came to understand descriptions such as luminous, watery, sensuous, whiter than white. I can see it in so many of these diamonds.”

Among the highlights are an uncut octahedral diamond, followed by examples of the point cut, table cut, rose cut and brilliant cut. (Zucker Diamonds: The Collection of Benjamin Zucker especially favors the term “highlights,” which to him is the accompaniment to the historic Indian represents the “high light of the diamonds.”) jewels that go on sale this month. The book, written by jewelry He points to a 16th-century ring “with beautiful historian Diana Scarisbrick, covers six centuries of Indian diamonds. octahedral crystals. Even if they couldn’t cut the It traces the evolution from the octahedral shape found in nature, diamond at this stage, you can still see the incredible to the point, table, rose and brilliant cuts of a polished diamond. display of the power of a diamond.”

Essays — including “A Diamond Life” by Zucker — add historical As another example, he indicates a brooch with context and personal perspectives. In her preface, gallery owner rose-cut diamonds. The rose cut came into being Sandra Hindman invites readers to experience the “magical world” when cutters learned how to put facets on top of of Zucker as seen in the lavish photographs and detailed drawings. a table cut. Composed of white, greenish-yellow, slightly pinkish and brown diamonds, this brooch

WRITTEN IN STONE

B

$4M

IMAGES: SHUTTERSTOCK; STOCKSY

BY THE BOOK

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TH E FINAL CU T

LOVE ON THE BIG SCREEN SWEET HOME ALABAMA (2002) DIRECTED BY: ANDY TENNANT In every girl’s dream come true, Melanie’s (Reese Witherspoon) boyfriend Andrew (Patrick Dempsey) brings her on a surprise date to a dark room. When the lights come on, Melanie is standing in Tiffany’s, after hours. Andrew asks Melanie to marry him and tells her to pick any ring she wants. Umm, the 10-carat over there please!

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING (1995) DIRECTED BY: JON TURTELTAUB Only in the movies could Lucy (Sandra Bullock), a lonely faretoken collector, meet her future husband while “engaged” to his brother. After she saves Peter (Peter Gallagher) from being hit by a train, she accompanies him to the hospital, where she’s mistaken for his fiancée. She ends up falling in love with his brother, Jack (Bill Pullman), but can’t say anything, as the family thinks she and Peter are together. After finally confessing the truth, she runs off. But in true romcom fashion, when she later reaches for the “token” a passenger has dropped in her tray, she finds an engagement ring, and Jack proposes while the family looks on.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (2010) DIRECTED BY: DAVID SLADE Discarding chaperoned walks and stolen kisses, vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) decides to take a bite out of life — and his wife, in the sequel — when he proposes to Bella (Kristin Stewart) with his mother’s ring.

THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE (2009) DIRECTED BY: ROBERT SCHWENTKE Henry (Eric Bana) has a rare genetic disorder that causes him to time travel involuntarily. He falls in love with Clare (Rachel McAdams), who’s already in love with him, since she met his future self years earlier (it’s complicated). One morning, he wakes her by sliding a ring onto her finger and asking her to marry him.

We know what you’re thinking: It’s about time!

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LEAP YEAR (2010) DIRECTED BY: ANAND TUCKER Anna (Amy Adams) is understandably fed up that her boyfriend still hasn’t proposed after four years. When he goes to Dublin for work, she takes matters into her own hands, following him there with plans to propose on Leap Day — an Irish tradition in which women propose on February 29. When a freak storm causes her plane to divert, Anna ends up in Cork, Ireland, where she hires Declan (Matthew Goode) to get her to Dublin.

Despite their constant bickering, the pair, who end up spending unforeseeable time together, develop feelings for each other. When Anna is finally reunited with her boyfriend, he asks her to marry him, but she realizes he isn’t the one. Back in Cork with Declan, she says yes to a lifetime of happy squabbling when he proposes with his mother’s claddagh ring.

HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU (2009) DIRECTED BY: KEN KWAPIS Beth (Jennifer Aniston) has waited seven long years for Neil (Ben Affleck) to propose, but when he tells her he doesn’t want to get married, she gives him the old heave-ho. After her father has a heart attack, Neil comes back to help, and Beth realizes she wants to be with him, even if he never proposes.

The next day, she finds a pair of his old pants and is about to throw them away when Neil tells her to check the pockets first. When she does, she finds a ring and turns to see Neil on one knee. In a complete about-face, he asks her to marry him.

WORDS BY LEAH MEIROVICH. IMAGES: ALLSTAR PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; PICTURELUX/THE HOLLYWOOD ARCHIVE/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; MOVIESTORE COLLECTION LTD/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; AF ARCHIVE/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

The most romantic movie proposals featuring diamond rings

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