Swiftonomics: Insights behind the business of Taylor Swift


Travis Kelce, left, and Taylor Swift react because the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers play through the first interval in Game 4 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on June 12, 2025.

Bruce Bennett | Getty Images

Global popstar Taylor Swift and NFL participant Travis Kelce are formally engaged — with a large diamond ring to show it. But Swifties hoping to emulate the fashion could discover it difficult to take action, consultants say.

After a two-year relationship, Swift and Kelce announced their engagement by way of an Instagram post on their official accounts on Tuesday.

In the photographs of their social media publish seems a hard-to-miss diamond on Swift’s finger, a method that is referred to as an outdated mine sensible lower, Tree Paine, Swift’s publicist, told The Associated Press. The ring was designed by Kindred Lubeck at Artifex Fine Jewelry in New York City.

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“It looks to be upwards of 10 carats, and it might be a vintage stone given the cut,” Paul Zimnisky, a New York-based diamond trade analyst, mentioned through e-mail. “Given the quality of the diamond and the size, it could easily be worth hundreds of thousands.” 

Jared Jewelers informed CNBC by way of a written assertion that the ring could price roughly $250,000 to $500,000.

However, “no one knows for sure,” mentioned Amanda Gizzi, senior vice chairman of company affairs at trade group Jewelers of America. 

It’s “a lot of speculation at this point,” she mentioned.

‘This ring aligns to current tendencies’

While Swift’s ring was designed for her, it would not be uncommon to see replicas or similar styles seem throughout the market, mentioned Zimnisky. (The trend-setting Swift’s engagement moved several stocks this week, together with names associated to jewellery and attire, amid fan curiosity in her ring and engagement costume.)

A comparable diamond, in the meantime, could also be tougher to come back by.

Old mine diamonds have a “distinct elongated shape with curved edges” and return to the time when diamonds had been lower, formed and polished by hand, in response to Sarah Hanlon, movie star and leisure editor of The Knot, a bridal website.

“Due to their rarity, true old mine diamonds can be harder to source,” Hanlon mentioned over e-mail.

What’s extra, the bigger carat weight a stone is, the rarer and dearer it is more likely to be, Gizzi mentioned, “especially when we’re talking about natural diamonds versus a lab-grown.”

According to Zimnisky, lab-grown diamonds might be discovered for nearly 90% lower than the price of a pure diamond. 

Swiftonomics: Insights behind the business of Taylor Swift

However, consultants say the elongated fashion of the singer’s ring has already been popping up amongst engaged {couples} — or as a music by Swift goes, “It’s been a long time coming.”

“This style is very much on trend for what we’ve started to see, which is elongated cuts like hers, as well as a return to natural diamonds and then also this idea of antique cuts,” Gizzi mentioned. 

According to Jared Jewelers, “this ring aligns to recent trends in bold gold looks, fancy cuts, and oversized elongated stones.”

In reality, elongated shapes like marquise have been promoting for a premium this 12 months attributable to excessive demand, mentioned Zimnisky.

‘There’s no improper solution to go about it’

Couples impressed by Swift’s ring can discover extra reasonably priced variations with cheaper gem stones, mentioned Zimnisky.

While outdated mine diamonds are uncommon and might be extra expensive, diamond shapes like cushions, emeralds and Asschers are simpler to come back by, mentioned The Knot’s Hanlon.

Couples may look into the classic jewellery market, consultants say. 

“There’s no wrong way to go about it,” mentioned Gizzi. “The inspiration is definitely something that can be found in different price points.”

When purchasing for engagement rings, begin off by defining your price range. While prices can vary broadly, the typical couple spent $5,200 on an engagement ring, according to The Knot’s 2024 Jewelry and Engagement research.

Instead of guidelines of thumb like spending “three months’ salary,” your price range ought to come all the way down to what you are in search of in a ring, consultants say.

When purchasing for pure diamonds, the 4 C’s – the colour, carat, readability and lower – decide the function of the diamond in addition to the worth. 

Lab-grown diamonds will not comply with the identical guidelines. In June, the Gemological Institute of America, the group that designed the broadly used grading system, mentioned it’ll as a substitute use descriptive phrases to find out the standard of lab-grown diamonds and classify the gems as both “premium” or “standard.”

The new grading system can be in the marketplace on Oct. 1, said Stephen Morisseau, a spokesperson for the GIA.

Still, when both lab-grown or pure stones, you wish to perceive the stone’s dimensions, its brilliance, the form and the burden, mentioned Gizzi.