When Natasha got divorced, she put her ring away in a drawer. She didn’t want to throw it away, but the idea of wearing it again didn’t appeal, either.
“It was a plain ring. It was quite boring. I didn’t really know what to do with it…”
— from a story by Vicky Jessop on standard.co.uk, January 14, 2026.
When Darlene and I wrote up our divorce agreement, outlining how we would split up our joint possessions, we forgot to mention the wedding rings. Which was entirely understandable. They were plain, boring gold bands purchased from a pawn shop. We didn’t have a lot of money when we got married, and splurging on diamonds felt like an unnecessary expense. Sure, diamonds are forever, but we figured our love was also forever, so diamonds seemed a bit redundant. Also, we were hearing rumors that the people working the diamond mines in African were often enslaved children.
So we went with plain and boring. Little did we know this was an omen, reflecting what our marriage would be like.
Anyway, Darlene kept her ring after the divorce, and I kept mine. I can’t say what Darlene did with hers, but I put mine somewhere safe, and haven’t been able to find it since.
But “divorce rings” weren’t a thing yet, back then.
I found a video yesterday of actor, dancer, and singer Teyana Taylor at the 2026 Golden Globes award ceremony, where she won her first Globe trophy for ‘Best Supporting Female Actor’, for her role in “One Battle After Another”. I guess the past couple of years have been a roller coaster for her, considering her artistic successes combined with messy divorce negotiations that lasted two years.
The final settlement, last March, was reasonable. Ms. Taylor took possession of four homes valued at more than $10 million, plus a seven-figure payout, a $300,000 Maybach, a $70,000 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, and a tour bus. And $8,000 a month in child support. (Let’s not forget the children.)
I noticed in the video that Ms. Taylor was wearing a ring on her middle finger, and I wondered if this was one of those “divorce rings” that have lately become popular with celebrities. Reportedly, the trend is to take your wedding or engagement ring to a jeweler, and have it redesigned to signify your newly-obtained freedom and self-respect. Wearing it on your middle finger could be an expression of that new-found freedom.
I suppose it helps to be really rich, so you can afford a custom-design ring. Maybe the alimony helps out.
Take the case of British-American model and actor Emily Ratajkowski, who marked her separation from director Sebastian Bear-McClard in 2022 by redesigning her massive engagement ring into two separate rings.
In the online photos, Ms. Ratajkowski was not wearing either of her new rings on her middle finger. So that’s probably a good sign.
From the Standard article by Vicky Jessop:
Where famous go, we mere mortals will follow.
And why not? Taking a time of pain and loss and turning it into one of empowerment is certainly an appealing notion.
“I feel like over the past three years we’re definitely getting more and more people asking about it in some way,” Rachel Boston says. A jeweler for 13 years, she’s seen it all — and even designed divorce rings for clients who originally came to her for their engagement.
For those who did not get massive engagement rings, nor score four houses worth an estimated $10 million in the divorce settlement, the American economy has come up with affordable options to meet most any divorcee’s budget.
If you do a search for “divorce rings” on Amazon.com, you can find a selection of more than 200 rings suitable for celebrating your freedom and self-love.
At a range of prices. And attitudes.
After reading about this trend — even though I’m not really the kind of celebrity who can afford a custom ring — I’m thinking about making another search for my old wedding ring. I know I put it in a safe place. But where?
I bet I could afford to have it enlarged just slightly, to fit on my middle finger.
No diamond necessary, in which case.
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all. You can read more stories on his Substack account.