Taylor Swift's engagement: What to know about the vintage-inspired ring, valued up to $1 million

Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce announced their engagement on Tuesday with a joint Instagram post that read: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married". The news delighted Swift fans around the world, and attention quickly turned to the singer's vintage-inspired engagement ring.

The piece was designed by New York jewellery designer Kindred Lubeck, a representative for the singer confirmed. Swift’s publicist, Tree Paine, described the diamond as an old mine brilliant cut, but offered no further details.

How much does the ring cost?

Although it’s difficult to determine the value from photos alone, estimates suggest Swift’s ring could be worth up to $1 million.

Mehul Pethani of Cara Jewellers in Dubai places the cost between $150,000 and $500,000, depending on clarity, if bought in the UAE. He tells The National he believes the diamond is about 10 carats. Benjamin Khordipour of Estate Diamond Jewelry gives a figure closer to $550,000, telling Brides.com that the ring is “a stunning elongated antique cushion-cut diamond, approximately eight carats, F colour and VS1 clarity".

Stephanie Gottlieb, a jeweller often chosen by Swift, told Vogue that she estimates the stone at eight to 10 carats, with a value ranging from $400,000 to $800,000. Meanwhile, Daniela Tarantino, vice president of merchandising at James Allen and Blue Nile, suggests to Glamour that the diamond could weigh between 10 and 15 carats in total, set on a yellow gold band, and likely costs between $750,000 and $1 million.

The couple have been dating since 2023. Reuters

What is an old mine diamond cut?

An old mine cut is an antique diamond style that was popular from the 18th century through the late 1800s, long before the modern round brilliant became the standard. Recognisable for its cushion-like shape with rounded corners, the cut is defined by a larger culet (the bottom facet of the diamond), a smaller table (the top facet) and a more rectangular or squarish outline that gives it a softer, more romantic appearance.

“Old mine cut diamonds are prized for their unique, vintage charm and historical significance. They’re often sought after by collectors and those drawn to antique or vintage jewellery pieces,” says Pethani.

Where to buy the ring for cheaper

Sterling Forever has a dupe of the engagement ring. Photo: Sterling Forever

Sterling Forever is offering a dupe – a six-carat CZ sterling silver elongated cushion cocktail ring, available in 14K gold-plated silver or sterling silver, for $129. It’s currently on pre-order, with shipping set to begin on October 6.

UK’s AI plan

AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
£10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
£100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
£250m to train new AI models

FIXTURES

December 28
Stan Wawrinka v Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Milos Raonic v Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm

December 29 - semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Stan Wawrinka / Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Milos Raonic / Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm

December 30
3rd/4th place play-off, 5pm
Final, 7pm

MATCH INFO

Burnley 1 (Brady 89')

Manchester City 4 (Jesus 24', 50', Rodri 68', Mahrez 87')

KYLIAN MBAPPE 2016/17 STATS

Ligue 1: Appearances - 29, Goals - 15, Assists - 8
UCL: Appearances - 9, Goals - 6
French Cup: Appearances - 3, Goals - 3
France U19: Appearances - 5, Goals - 5, Assists - 1

FIXTURES

New Zealand v France, second Test
Saturday, 12.35pm (UAE)
Auckland, New Zealand

South Africa v Wales
Sunday, 12.40am (UAE), San Juan, Argentina

AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street

The seven points are:

Shakhbout bin Sultan Street

Dhafeer Street

Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)

Salama bint Butti Street

Al Dhafra Street

Rabdan Street

Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)

From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

Other workplace saving schemes

The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.

How to get there

Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.

If you go

The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.