Rachel Zoe Shares How She Designed Her Divorce Ring

There’s long been stigma attached to divorce. Sure, the marriage may not have worked out, but it shouldn’t be viewed as a failure by any means. In fact, for Rachel Zoe, who recently separated from ex-husband Roger Berman after a 33-year relationship, calling it quits signaled an exciting new life chapter, one she was eager to celebrate with some bling. Therefore, the longtime style guru opted for what the industry has dubbed a “divorce ring.”

“I’m happily divorced,” she tells TZR on a recent call, noting that she wants to reframe how society thinks about engagement rings. “You get an engagement ring when you get married, but why can’t we buy ourselves a ring when we’re happily independent? I think it’s incredibly important that women also mark this time in their lives,” Zoe adds. For the reality star, being able to glance down at a ring she bought for herself serves as a symbol of new beginnings.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star isn’t the only one who feels this way. In fact, breakup jewelry has been on the rise in Hollywood. In March 2024, Emily Ratajkowski reimagined her engagement ring from estranged husband Sebastian Bear-McClard, splitting the toi et moi sparkler, which was designed by Alison Lou, into two separate rings. Meanwhile, a few months later, fellow model Brooks Nader debuted a nine-carat pear diamond ring repurposed from her original piece from ex Billy Haire.

To bring her new ring to life, Zoe collaborated with her longtime friend Nicole Wegman, the founder of Ring Concierge. “We were texting and she was like, ‘I really think we have to do a divorce ring,’” Zoe shares. This past summer, the former celebrity stylist and jewelry expert began the process of designing the bauble. “We went through all these stones, and obviously I went for the biggest one because I love drama,” Zoe jokes. Though the original ring featured a cushion cut, she decided on a bold oval diamond. “I feel like right now my life has this huge imperfect circle, and the oval really represented that,” she explains.

As the concept took shape, the two received a bit of creative direction from Zoe’s 11-year-old son, Kaius. “My kids had just gotten back from camp, and he really wanted to be a part of it. He said, “‘Mom, I want to help. I want to design it too.’” The tween may have a future in the jewelry biz, as he came up with a special idea: One big diamond sandwiched between two smaller rocks, symbolizing Zoe and her two sons. “Every time I look at it, it really feels like it’s the mom in the middle and the boys on each side. And that’s really how we landed there.”

Though divorce rings are becoming a trend, you needn’t necessarily refer to it as that, according to Zoe. “You can call it a new life ring or an anything ring,” she says. “The whole point is that there's no one weighing in on it except for you.” (Well, save for her kids.) Zoe’s hope is that the more women embrace their new life venture via a repurposed or new ring, the more it becomes the norm.