In this feature, jewelry historian and author Marion Fasel debunks common myths about natural diamond engagement rings and shares insights from her book, A History of Diamond Engagement Rings, a True Romance. You can purchase her book here .

Marion Fasel is a jewelry historian who has written 11 books on 20th-century jewelry. She was a longtime editor at InStyle magazine before launching her blog, The Adventurine, and later moving to Substack. Marion shares that writing “A History of Diamond Engagement Rings” was incredibly difficult, despite some in her field thinking it would be easy. One scoop we get from her book is that she refutes the widespread belief that Archduke Maximilian gave Mary of Burgundy the first diamond engagement ring in 1477.

Marion also addresses the common belief that De Beers is solely responsible for the widespread wearing of diamond engagement rings, often framed as a “conspiracy.” She argues that diamond engagement rings were worn for 500 years before De Beers launched its “A Diamond Is Forever” campaign, suggesting that women would still wear them regardless of the advertising. Marion mentions that she loves all the rings featured in her book and can’t pick a favorite. She highlights Erstwhile Jewelry , the interview takes place at their showroom, for their beautiful collection, including the original Tiffany setting, classic emerald cut diamonds with tapered baguettes (popularized by Grace Kelly), and beautiful old cuts in new settings.

After researching centuries of proposals, Marion notes that women’s excitement and eagerness to show off their diamond engagement rings immediately after receiving them have remained consistently the same, from 19th-century paintings to modern-day celebrities like Lady Gaga.

Watch Now!