20 Unique Engagement Ring Ideas For LGBTQ+ Couples

The couple: Peloton instructor Jess King and rock star Sophia Urista
The story behind the rings: "I wanted a simple, strong statement ring, nothing too delicate or ornate," King said. "I linked with jeweler Grace Lee out of LA to create a ring that I could comfortably wear that would withstand my high-impact lifestyle but that would also sparkle. My ring is a 9mm Old European-cut moissanite, so it shines like a disco ball, and the band is solid gold. For ethical and lifestyle reasons, I wasn't comfortable running around town with a giant diamond on my finger. The intention is to create a stack — one ring for each new milestone, including our wedding, our first baby, etc. Looks like I should probably start designing ring number two being that we're expecting our first baby, due in November."

Urista also has a moissanite, but the aesthetic is totally different despite the same rainbow-like light reflection. "I sat with my favorite jewelry/clothing designer, Soull Ogun, cocreator of L'Enchanteur, and based the design on their 'Never Land' ring, representing a story that never ends," she explained. "There's an opening where the stones face each other as if looking into a mirror and reflecting off one another — the same, but still individuals. When I saw this concept, I saw our love represented. The ring is cast in 14k gold but is more affordable, which, with two pretty large stones, suits my active lifestyle. I never take it off and don't have to keep it in a safe. I still wanted a diamond, so Soull added a chocolate diamond kiss at the base of the ring. I now think I was foreshadowing our baby due this fall."

The couple: Makeup/skin-care digital creator Aditya Madiraju and creative director and producer Amit Shah
The story behind the rings: "In 2018, we decided to get married at City Hall in New York and discussed we would get temporary rings within a limited budget. On the day of ring shopping (the wedding was the next day), we went separate ways so we could surprise each other. Aditya was at Zales searching for a ring when there was a sudden electric power issue at home. Meanwhile, Amit went to Cartier and purchased one of their classic bands. (I guess he didn't really want to stick to our plan.) The interesting thing is we couldn't wear either of the rings at first because they didn't fit," the couple said.

"We had two wedding ceremonies because our South Asian identity has always been very important to us, so in 2019, during our Indian ceremony, we both opted for Love rings from Cartier. Every year on our anniversary, we add a new piece of jewelry to our collection, which we hope to pass along to our kids and, eventually, our grandkids."

Aydian and Jenilee's 10-year wedding anniversary rings found in a vintage antique shop — hers an opal and his a black opal, since opals symbolize passion and love.

The couple: Food blogger, photographer, and teacher June Hall and Rashida Joiner

The story behind the ring: "We had been discussing getting married, and Rashida asked what type of rings I liked. I have never been a basic person who wanted a diamond. I told Rashida I'd love a ring that was rose gold with a morganite stone. Rashida began researching jewelry stores that offered that type of ring but was not satisfied. She then began researching designers who could create something custom and stumbled upon Laurie Sarah, based in LA. Together, they started the process of customizing the ring, and the end result was this handmade 14k rose gold ring with a radiant-cut 3.5-carat morganite stone sitting in a diamond-encrusted halo."

The couple: LGBTQ+ travel vloggers Allie+Sam

The story behind the rings: "I proposed to Sam first, and I snuck on to her Etsy account to see if she had saved any favorite rings. Sure enough, she saved the same one, a round morganite, a few times! I was very drawn to Evorden since it's a Canadian-based company and could make the ring in time."

"I picked my ring out myself. I kept being drawn to the same pear-shape aquamarine ring, which just so happened to be from Evorden as well. Sam ordered it and proposed back to me. We both went with nondiamond center stones because it felt less typical and more 'us.' But both our rings do have diamond halos, and our wedding bands, from Hearts on Fire Co., are diamonds as well."

The couple: NYC-based Tech IT Jay Leaf-Clark and writer JJ Leaf-Clark

The story behind the rings: "Asking JJ to marry me felt like it was years in the making even though we had only officially been dating a year. When we first met in 2015, we told ourselves that it 'wasn't the right time,' and when we found each other again, we always kicked ourselves that we didn't do it then. When I planned JJ's surprise engagement, I wanted his ring to not only be beautiful but a representation of what I should have done years ago."

"The ring is a cushion-cut eternity band and is about 10 carats, set in white gold. It's not subtle by any means, but after all that lost time, neither is my love for JJ. For my ring, I looked for something simple that complemented JJ's ring and represented my personality. I settled on a gold eternity band with much smaller stones all around."

The couple: Vancouver-based travel and lifestyle bloggers behind Lezseetheworld

The story behind the rings: "All lesbian couples are different, but we both chose to wear engagement rings after Steph proposed! We have vintage engagement rings that each suit our individual styles. Katie wanted a classic solitaire setting and found a beautiful, traditional ring with a round diamond and a white gold band. Steph wanted something more intricate and chose a three-stone 'past, present, and future' setting, with round-cut diamonds and a white gold band. We both wanted vintage rings with their own character and found them on Etsy! They suit us so well individually, and we love how unique they are."

The couple: Dancer and interior designer Javontre Booker and dancer Jordan Medley

The story behind the rings: Tre found the gold ring for Jordan online, looking for something affordable that complemented Jordan's personality. It had to be simple because Jordan doesn't like flashy things. On the other hand, Jordan is a dance artist, teacher, and choreographer who was working within a budget. He decided he wanted a Tungsten ring in a simple color so they could splurge on the bigger event later on. Both rings are intended to be a reflection of the commitment Jordan and Tre have to each other: it's tough and solid.

The couple: LGBTQ+ advocates and family and travel bloggers The Baileys

The story behind the rings: "Katie and I each wanted to pick out a ring instead of being surprised by the other person. We knew exactly what we wanted — or so we thought — so we went to Fred Meyer Jewelry and were helped by a sales associate who thought we were sisters. (We're always nervous to tell people we're gay because the reaction isn't always positive.) Katie thought she wanted a ring with a diamond lined by smaller diamonds, and I thought I wanted a single, simple diamond, but we ended up wanting what the other one had. We decided against getting bands since we had a budget to stick to for our small beach wedding."

"On the night before our wedding as we were watching the sun go down in Hawaii, Katie pulled out two bands and surprised me. One band was engraved with 'Forever forever' and the other with 'and always' — our favorite saying throughout our relationship. The bands were matching, each lined with small diamonds. On the weekends when we're around the kids, we just wear the bands, but when we go to work, we wear our full ring sets."

The couple: Author Zara Barrie and Meghan Dziuma

The story behind the rings: "My wife Meghan proposed to me first on Facebook Live with a stunningly beautiful vintage diamond and platinum engagement ring from 1910! I have an extremely sparkly, wild sense of fashion and had zero interest in anything simple. And this ring is not simple; it has insane attention to detail and is very art deco, which is one of my favorite jewelry styles! I was completely floored when she proposed, and we hadn't even discussed engagement rings or any of that bridal jazz. You can imagine how wildly impressed I was that she intrinsically knew that a fabulous, one-of-a-kind, vintage engagement ring is my thing. In typical millennial style, she found it on the Doyle & Doyle Instagram (an amazing vintage jewelry shop in New York's Meatpacking District) and knew it was the one. 'Love at first diamond sight,' I suppose."

"A couple of months later I decided to propose back to Meghan. I chose a classic, sophisticated Cartier Love ring because Meghan, unlike yours truly, isn't super extra or ultra glam. She's very downtown Manhattan chic — a 'black leather pants with a black blouse' kind of girl — and I knew the gold in the ring would complement her all-black attire. The ring has a sexy, androgynous vibe to it, yet its symbolism of being 'locked up in love' is deep and romantic, like her. Purr! Lucky for both of us, we wear the same ring size, so the sizing was the easiest part of the whole process!"

The couple: LGBTQ+, travel, and photography bloggers behind Once Upon a Jrny

The story behind the ring: "I found the engagement ring I picked for Roxanne on Etsy. The ring is symbolic: Rox is my 'rock,' my raw diamond. She's not perfectly polished, and neither is the engagement ring! It was very hard to buy a ring in secret, since we were traveling full time and were together 24/7. The ring is handcrafted by Sirilak Samanasak, who has a cute jewelry store in Chiang Mai, Thailand (which is where I proposed during the lantern festival). Roxanne actually lost the diamond on her first engagement ring, but we had a new one made by Sirilak one year later. Our wedding rings are also made by her!"

The couple: LGBTQ+ bloggers behind Two Femme Gems

The story behind the ring: "I knew I didn't want an over-the-top ring. I don't really wear a ton of jewelry and was looking for something classic and minimal. Alexa and I went to look at rings together about six months before she proposed. I showed her the style I liked. What I really love about my ring is how Alexa took my direction and built off of it to put her own spin on it. She really made it the special piece of jewelry that it is. Every day I get to look down at this beautiful physical representation of our love, and to me, that's just pure magic! A huge part of our proposal was the box the ring came in, which is a Mrs. Box, so you'll see photos of that ahead."