Proving that her engagement to Chad Kroeger isn't just Canadian-loving fan fiction, Avril Lavigne recently stepped out in an interview to show off her engagement ring. As seen below, it's a pretty sizable pear shaped ring, with moons on each side of the main rock. Avril went on to say that its her "favorite accessory" because it is chunky, different, and because Chad knew that she likes pears. Diamond mansion believes that this is exactly what unique engagement rings should be: a woman's favorite piece of jewelry and full of sentimental value.

 Avril Lavigne's engagement ring as seen on ET.

The experts at Diamond Mansion can definitely help you find a beautiful and shimmering ring from our collection of vintage-inspired and modern engagement rings. More importantly, however, we can help you find a ring that has incredible thought and sentimental value as well. For example, if she likes art deco and structure, she may be drawn to halo engagement rings. Other women may like the simplicity of solitaire engagement rings that let the stone do all the talking and pair perfectly well with almost any style of wedding band. So, when consulting with an experienced designer here at Diamond Mansion, feel free to come prepared with a list of likes and dislikes and we'll find a great ring together.

After all, we all want out fiancee's to think of their engagement ring as their "favorite accessory," much like Avril. So, call Diamond Mansion today at 800.518.0240 or visit us online to learn more.

Take just about any product known to humanity, add a famous person, and suddenly the product seems to become a lot more interesting. Moreover, it's hard to think of a product category where more reporting goes on than when it comes to celebrity engagement and wedding rings. Just last week, the Vibe Vixen blog ("The New Style of Sexy") listed five fabulous engagement rings belonging to contemporary stars, leading with the stone purchased for singer Beyoncé by rapper Jay-Z and moving to show, among others, the sapphire diamond ring handed down to England's Prince William from the late Princess Diana, which he gave to Kate Middleton.

These popular engagement rings may be fabulous indeed, but it's a good question just how much more fabulous they are than the rings available right here at Diamond Mansion. In fact, since we protect the privacy of our clients, there's no telling whether or not the next celebrity ring on television or at a celebrity gossip site you see may have come from here. So, you can say it's all mindless celebrity worship, but there's absolutely nothing new about this.

Indeed, the amount of attention lavished on today's mega-bling of commitment is nothing compared to the attention that was once reserved for such over-the-top adornments as the enormous asscher cut ring given to superstar actress Elizabeth Taylor by her fifth AND sixth husband, the almost equally world famous Richard Burton. (She was married twice after that.) While that ring was truly over the top, you can definitely rings, including some solitaire engagement rings, equaling the beauty and classical elegance of the ring given by playwright Arthur Miller (Death of a Salesman) to his iconic megastar wife, Marilyn Monroe. Unfortunately, the eternity ring Miller gave to the stunning Monroe didn't apply to length of the marriage, but beauty is beauty. And it's nice to know that Diamond Mansion makes just that kind of beauty available even to regular folks like us.

You can see it here, next to a similar style from the Diamond Mansion collection. The team here is loving the halo engagement ring trend; it's fashionable and classic at the same time. Ms. Wilde's ring is incredibly evocative of vintage engagement rings while still possessing a little bit of modern verve. Some reports even claim that her gorgeous rock is an antique.

If you enjoy the contrast of her ring, then you'll find plenty to love in Diamond Mansion's engagement ring collection. Here's a 1.80ct Natural Round Halo Diamond Engagement Ring, which can be crafted in white gold, yellow gold, or platinum.

We also offer three stone engagement rings in a halo style for those who much prefer that look. This 1.25ct 3-Stone Halo Natural Diamond Engagement Ring is currently one of the most popular items here at Diamond Mansion. Get a little Wilde and check it out!

While designing diamond engagement rings is an enjoyable project for most people in love, the ultra-creative take great delight in designing a one-of-a-kind engagement ring with Diamond Mansion Co. With so many uniquely-designed settings and skillfully-cut, high-quality diamonds, there are countless options available to to creatively inclined individuals wanting to design unique engagement rings. In recognition of this, Diamond Mansion would like to promote the talents of the artistic, through offering a 20% Design School Discount to fashion design students.

When the school participates, currently enrolled fashion students who are engaged to be married can save 20% on gorgeous rings settings from Diamond Mansion Co. While there are plenty of preset engagement rings in the Los Angeles jeweler's inventory, the design your own ring option allows the customer's design-oriented imagination to run wild. Once the setting is selected, he or she may choose any number of gorgeous cuts - heart, princess, cushion, asscher, and more - that will reflect the tastes and personality of the one who will receive the ring. The perfect engagement ring that is now only envisioned can be acquired through Diamond Mansion Co. at a resonable price, thanks to this new promotion.

In order for design students to make good on the discount, schools must apply by March 29th. To register, contact Diamond Mansion Co. by e-mailing fashion@diamondmanson.com. Please provide the school name and appropriate contact information, and a representative of Diamond Mansion Co. shall respond. Start making plans to design the ring of her dreams!

The team here at Diamond Mansion, Co. is currently expanding our digital outreach. It's surprisingly fun to customize our profiles across the web, sharing our unique engagement rings with the world. However, being on these sites is helpful to us because we get feedback from our customers that we wouldn't have had otherwise. Here are three websites that Diamond Mansion, Co. is happy to be active on:
 

Wedding Wire

Diamond Mansion's digital storefront on Wedding Wire allows us to share information about our company, share reviews (see below), and post photos of some of our favorite creations so far. Wedding Wire—which calls themselves the "Yelp of Weddings"—is a fantastic resource for engaged couples trying to find the best services on the market. Besides wedding and diamond engagement rings, Wedding Wire allows venues, photographers, dressmakers, and more to share their offerings and customer reviews.
 

We happen to like Wedding Wire because we already have some great reviews! You can read them right here:

Read all of our Wedding Jewelry Reviews at

OneWed

We like OneWed because it a youth-oriented specialty site for wedding bloggers, customers, and vendors—think Pinterest but with only wedding ideas. You can see our vendor profile with some of our engagement and wedding rings that we've uploaded so far. Some highlights include a rose gold ring, canary engagement rings, and images from our design your own ring pages.
 

While our profile is relatively new, we will eventually have some reviews. You can see the cute little OneWed banner here:
 

Manta

This site isn't solely for wedding companies; rather, Manta specializes in helping small businesses share their best services. We've already been verified; here is our company profile page. What's great about Manta is we can specifically discuss the services that make our company unique, from our custom ring designs to one of our favorite products, our diamond stud earrings.
 

Alas, Diamond Mansion, Co. doesn't have any recommendations at the moment, though we anticipate getting some once our happy customers find out we're listed. You can write and read our recommendations right here:
 

If you are dating a girl who has an affinity for Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe movies, shops at second-hand stores, and listens to retro music, chances are that she’s the kind of woman who would prefer a vintage-style engagement ring. Although we live in the 21st Century, a vintage-style ring epitomizes both old-school beauty and timeless elegance. Antique rings are breathtaking, with bands that are unconventionally designed and/or covered in diamond details. Major pop stars like Gwen Stefani and real-life princesses - Kate Middleton - wore vintage engagement rings. Those lacking a family heirloom turn to Diamond Mansion for an array of beautiful, uniquely-featured vintage-style engagement rings.

For the bold yet feminine female, Diamond Mansion offers a scroll-design pave setting engagement ring that can be set with princess, oval, pear, asscher, or any other cut. The customer is presented with a pleasing selection of striking halo pave engagement rings, perfect for the romantic with classic tastes. Or, choose a ring with a split shank with side diamonds for a stately, refined look. If these rings are close, but not quite what the young lady truly wishes for, build your own engagement ring with Diamond Mansion. Design the perfect symbol of love that will last a lifetime, based on a design only seen in the mind’s eye! The resulting designer engagement rings are our customers' dreams come to life.

To browse Diamond Mansion’s assortment of vintage-inspired rings, as well as wedding ring sets, anniversary rings, and more, visit www.diamondmansion.com

Will you be buying into this off beat trend? In the eighteen hundreds it was common for women to wear black wedding gowns because of the practicality. Only the wealthiest women could afford to wear a white gown they could never wear again. It was sometimes said that women would wear black wedding gowns if she was marrying a widower. By the late eighteen hundreds though most women where choosing to wear white or ivory gowns. From this point on it started to be considered bad luck to wear a black gown. This thought process has rang true until recently when specifically designer Vera Wang has been pushing for black wedding gowns.

Images via Style Me Pretty

This bride chose to go in the direction of Vera Wang and wore one of her absolutely striking black gowns. This gown is red carpet ready and is sure to make any bride feel like a million bucks. The pair eloped in a civil ceremony. When planning their elaborate reception they decided to go entirely non-traditional, hence the black gown!

Wedding Inspiration: The little Black Wedding Dress

What do you think about this trend? Do you still believe it is bad luck to be married in anything other than white? Thoughts please......

Non-Traditional Engagement Rings

In the spirit of being non-traditional.  We thought we would give your brains some unexpected ideas for your engagement ring!

Unique Engagement Rings from Diamond Mansion

Are you looking for a unique & individual ring? We have you covered! If you are interested in the vintage micro-pave ring with a touch of individuality the swirl design ring is the perfect fit. If you love the bezel spiral shank solitaire as contrast to the straightforward solitaire then you have found the right place.  Maybe you love the idea of your engagement ring being in a band style. We have both intricately engraved styles as well as simple band engagement rings.

Thoughts please..... ; )

Brandy's engagement to fiancé Ryan Press was the last celebrity engagement of 2012. It's fitting then, that her gorgeous engagement ring is perfectly on trend.

Left: Brandy's engagement ring (thebrandyblog.com)
Right: Same style from Diamond Mansion (diamondmansion.com)

Brandy's halo ring continues the huge surge of this style for celebrity engagement rings.  What many like about halo diamond engagement rings is that they're hot right now, but they're also timeless. Halo engagement rings are evocative of the art deco style that rose to prominence int he 1920s and 1930s. It's truly stood the test of time and will continue to do so.

Halo can be paired with a variety of cuts to make them unique engagement rings. We like to think that Brandy's future husband chose the gorgeous round cut to reference her under-appreciated single, "Full Moon," but the truth is that the cut could have been chosen for a variety of personal reasons. Here's Molly Sims' engagement ring that uses a cushion cut in lieu of the round cut:

Left and center: Molly Sims' diamond halo ring (celebritybrideguide.com)
Right: Cushion cut halo engagement ring (diamondmansion.com)

Here at Diamond Mansion, the ability to find a personal, unique engagement ring is incredibly easy. We have a wide range of rings to choose from, as well as a staggering selection of customizable rings to help our customers choose the most personal engagement ring possible. In the halo style alone, for example, we offer many cuts (princess cut, cushion cut, etc.) and styles (art deco, split shank, vintage style, etc.) as evidenced above and on our site.

The customer may select a ring that features a princess, asscher, or cushion-cut diamond as the center stone, among other cuts. The multi-stone pave setting affords a rich, elegant look when placed upon the ring finger. The customer may select a ring that features a double wreath of diamonds around the center stone. If you cannot find the perfect ring to serve as the symbol of intended matrimony, Diamond Mansion’s team of talented designers will help the betrothed couple fashion the engagement ring of their dreams.

Our leading Los Angeles-based jewelry company offers other magnificent items, including diamond stud earrings for women, wedding bands, and diamond eternity bands. This season brings many new engagements and affirmations of love. Celebrate your enduring commitment or express your affection with a timeless diamond ring from Diamond Mansion.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same" is more than a cliche, it's a fact of life.  A presentation earlier last week by DeBeers and covered by senior editor Rob Bates of JCK Magazine, noted that the United States share of the world market in diamonds -- and, of course diamond engagement rings -- has shrunk from as much as 60 percent of the world's diamond market to a mere 37% percent.

Don't get us wrong, the American diamond market is definitely thriving at at every level, from the most high flown trader in precious jewels, to manufacturers of such fine high products as diamond anniversary bands and outstanding retailers like Diamond Mansion. In fact, America is still the #1 purchaser of diamonds worldwide. At the same time, certain other countries are starting to catch up with us, and there's a good chance that you can guess their names. Still, it will be some years ahead if the Asian economic powerhouses of China and India ever do start overtaking the West in their purchases of diamonds.

As for the future, as with every other field, technology seems to be leading the way. The same report that mentioned the decline in the United States' overall share of the diamond market discussed with some excitement a device which can distinguish between very small natural and synthetic diamonds in large groups. (The difference is easy to see in larger diamonds on a one-by-one basis, but it's a time consuming process without the new technology.)

Anyhow, for all these changes, the experience of being a ring conventionally or being able to design your own ring solitaire ring will remain very largely the same. And those of us who work in the gem trade will keep on doing things pretty much as we've been doing them for many decades now. Still, the subtle changes in the business are interesting to follow -- at least to us gem nerds.