As the poster girl for ’90s minimalism, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s jewellery collection was decidedly unflashy. It makes sense, then, that when John F Kennedy Jr proposed to her in 1995, he opted for a pared-back engagement ring that was in keeping with the rest of her wardrobe.
In fact, the eldest son of JFK was inspired by a gold and emerald band that belonged to his mother, Jackie Kennedy, which she dubbed her “swimming ring”, according to Carole Radziwill’s book What Remains. Bessette-Kennedy reportedly told the journalist (a friend whose husband Anthony Radziwill was Jackie’s nephew), at the time that her engagement band, featuring round-cut sapphires and diamonds on a platinum band, was “a copy of a ring [John’s] mother wore”.
The first lady’s swimming ring is believed to have been gifted to her by her diamond dealer and long-time companion Maurice Tempelsman, although there is some speculation that the inspiration for Bessette-Kennedy’s engagement band was a Schlumberger Sixteen Stone ring that also belonged to her mother-in-law. “I can’t say with certainty which ring was Jackie’s swimming ring,” Marion Fasel, jewelry historian and founder of The Adventurine, tells Vogue, although Tempelsman is thought to have helped design Bessette-Kennedy’s band.
For all the latest fasion News Click Here
