These Celeb Engagement Rings Are Canadian-Made & Here's What Went Into Each Design
Each ring has details special to the couple. 💍
Many celebrities are known for their stunning engagement rings and a Canadian designer says she feels honoured to have worked with three couples to create their perfect rings.
Chau Lui, co-owner of Paris Jewellers, has worked with big-name stars like Dancing with the Stars judge Derek Hough and To All The Boys I've Loved actress Lana Condor's fiancé on their custom engagement rings.
The jewelry designer says each ring has details that have special significance to the couple and she shared some of those with Narcity.
Recently Lui also got to work with author and podcaster Lewis Howes on the engagement ring he gave to his now-fiancée Martha Higareda.
So what went into making each custom ring?
Lui shares what it was like working with these three couples and what went into making each of their rings.
Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert Hough
Lui worked with professional dancer Derek Hough in 2022 when he was shopping for a ring for his now-wife Hayley Erbert Hough.
In an interview with E News, Hough shared that he spent months looking for an engagement ring.
"I FaceTimed with her [Chau Lui] and I honestly interviewed a few different people," Derek told the outlet. "But her energy and her passion was amazing. I said, ‘I trust you.'"
He added that the four-and-a-half carat ring he ended up with is "flawless."
Lui also speaks highly of Derek and the experience she had working with him.
The jewelry designer listened to the couple's favourite song "Someone to Stay" by Vancouver Sleep Clinic to "help inspire elements" of the ring so that it would represent their love.
"It was really important for him to have something very rare and special for Hayley," Lui told Narcity.
"So we decided on a ring that is oval and it's a classic platinum setting and it's absolutely stunning."
Lui also shared that she gets asked about working with Derek quite often and has nothing but nice things to say about the famous dancer.
"I get asked so much about him and [people ask] if he is just as nice in person and I have to share he is even nicer," Lui said and added that he even made a special video for her mom, who is a big fan of his.
Lana Condor & Anthony De La Torre
Another big-name celebrity ring that Lui helped designed was for To All The Boys I've Loved Before actress Lana Condor.
In her engagement post, Condor shared how much it meant to her that her fiancé Anthony De La Torre chose to work with Paris Jewellers on the ring, especially given the Vietnamese connection.
"Anthony worked with the INCREDIBLE Vietnamese female owned @parisjewellerscanada to design the most stunning piece I've ever seen," she wrote in the post.
"The fact that he knew how important it was to me that he'd collaborate w/a Vietnamese company to help design my ring is a testament to just how truly thoughtful he always is."
In her interview with Narcity, Lui shared that Condor's ring is an oval with a custom-made yellow-gold setting.
There are special details in the ring that were curated based on the couple's history together.
"The first song that they recorded together was called 'Raining in London' and it's a very special song for them. So in her ring there are pear shaped diamonds on the side and those represent raindrops," Lui said.
"I put in the rain just to symbolize their union. There's a lot of special details in Lana's ring."
Lewis Howes & Martha Higareda
Author and podcaster Lewis Howes is yet another celebrity who came to Lui to help him design a ring for his now-fiancée Martha Higareda.
"Working with him was a true honour because I've read his books and I'm so inspired by him. So you know when the opportunity came up to work on the ring, he again [like the previous two celeb couples] chose an oval," Lui noted.
"A very stunning, timeless ring and a lot of hidden details in the ring as well."
Howes got down on one knee during his Summit of Greatness in Ohio this past September and Lui got to be there to witness the incredibly special moment.
"[It was] in his hometown and he did it in front of the entire audience and I was in that audience. It was such an honour to be there."
What goes into creating a custom engagement ring?
When it comes to making a custom ring, Lui says it starts with a conversation with the client to see how she can make it unique to the couple.
"We will ask questions, and we call them 'discover questions' because we want to uncover what's important to them. 'What style they've seen that they loved. What do they want to see? What do they want to feel when they wear the ring?'" Lui explained.
"It's just really important to pinpoint what's important to the customer because it's their ring and they're going to look at it everyday."
With custom rings Lui says it can take between five to eight weeks because the design will go through changes during the back and forth with the customers.
"If there's a style that you love in the store [...] we usually ship it out within one to three business days."
Lui calls it a privilege when celebrities come to Paris Jewellers for their rings.
"Everyone that we've been able to work with, it's been incredible. It's been the best experience," Lui shared.
"Like imagine, Lewis Howes, the greatest interviewer of our time, he's so inspiring. So to be in that energy and to be around that, it's been wonderful."
All three celebrity rings mentioned above are oval engagement rings, which Lui says is a trend we're seeing.
The jewelry designer shared other trends she says will be sticking around for 2024, including round brilliant-cut diamonds, lab-created diamonds and custom rings with unique centre stones.
With the holidays quickly approaching, Lui says Christmas and New Year's are a busy time for them and she encourages anyone looking to propose this season to start shopping soon so they get the perfect ring in time.