In recent weeks, the internet has been abuzz with speculation that Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper have tied the knot, and that Zendaya and Tom Holland, who were legally married earlier this year, celebrated their nuptials for a second time, surrounded by family and friends, at Beaverbrook in Surrey.
As a result, all eyes have been on the matching “wedding” bands that have been sported by the two couples in London and Paris. Not long after news of their UK celebrations hit the press, Christopher Nolan’s Telemachus and Athena were spotted in the British capital looking low-key on a dog walk, wearing matching gold bands (Z’s East-West engagement ring by Jessica McCormack was also visible). While in the French capital, Hadid and Cooper were seen wearing coordinating neutral hues and complementary Boucheron bands.
On closer inspection, Hadid had opted for the historic Place Vendôme jeweler’s Quatre Radiant Edition Wedding Band, which is made from a tromple l’eoil effect stack of two different bands, one in a textured 18-carat yellow gold inspired by grosgrain ribbon, and the other crafted from white gold, and set with 33 round diamonds. Cooper’s Godron design also resembled two smaller stacked bands, crafted in pink gold.
“We have had couples choose rings that share an element or reference,” says Chelsea-based jeweler Jessie Thomas of the trend. “I think the interesting thing is that couples are much less prescriptive about what ‘matching’ actually means now.” East London-based jeweler Rachel Boston agrees. “More often, couples will match a particular finish, pattern or profile, but choose different widths and proportions to suit each person,” she says. “We might see the same sculptural profile interpreted as a finer band for one partner and a much wider, bolder version for the other.”
Tom Holland and Zendaya in London wearing their matching wedding bands.
Photo: Backgrid
“When couples choose their bands together, our experience is that it gives them the confidence to opt for something more unusual,” explains Belgravia-based Eliza Walter of Lylie Jewellery. This sentiment taps into a wider bridal trend for bolder, personality-driven engagement rings, which are a true reflection of a wearer’s style, whether it’s a predilection for colored stones, mixed metals, chunky bands or antique diamonds.
“We see many couples coming in and designing their engagement ring and then wedding bands together,” adds Boston. “Each person becomes more attuned to what their partner is drawn to, whether that is the shape, width, finish or details they respond to, and inevitably they start thinking about how the two rings might relate to one another.” She also points out that this attitude is encouraging men into more adventurous designs, like “stronger, more distinctive profiles and wider bands, and occasionally incorporating diamonds or other stones.”
