RISING UP FROM ROCK BOTTOM
‘Survival symbol’ divorce rings
The word “divorce” certainly doesn’t have a nice ring to it.
And when Lauren Boc’s ex-husband unexpectedly demanded one in October, just four months after they’d tied the knot, the heartbroken Brooklynite found herself in a painfully dark place.
But the artsy millennial decided to brighten things up a bit.
“I custom-made my own divorce ring,” Boc, 35, of Fort Greene, told The Post of her 18carat yellow gold loop boasting a 4-carat Ascher-cut, lab-grown diamond.
Her brilliant bauble is loosely inspired by her $6,000 art decostyle engagement ring, featuring emerald calibre-cut stones haloing a 1.75-carat round rock. It’s also a nod to a platinum 3.7-carat emerald cut ring she designed and engraved to wear on her right hand during her June 2023 nuptials.
“My divorce ring is a beautiful reminder of my resilience,” the reproductive rights advocateturned-jewelry designer said. “It was really healing to reinvent my ring as I’m reinventing myself. I’m a New Yorker — it’s just not in me to sit around and be sad every day.”
Boc is far from the only divorcée to deck herself out in “we’re done” diamonds.
Emily Ratajkowski is ringing in her single status with two 3-carat rings redesigned from her Toi-EtMoi engagement ring, which featured two hulking stones. She and her ex-hubby, film producer Sebastian Bear-McClard, 36, split in September 2022.
She debuted her new rocks to an Instagram audience of more than 30 million on Tuesday. The pear-shaped and princess-cut diamond accessories were created by NYC jewelry brand Alison Lou.
“The rings represent my own personal evolution,” Ratajkowski, 32, told Vogue. “I don’t think a woman should be stripped of her diamonds just because she’s losing a man.”
Alison Chemla, who fashioned the model’s stylish gems, told Page Six Style, “The idea behind this was always to take the original ring and rebrand it to mark the new chapter in Emily’s life.
“Just like a divorce is a separation of two people, these rings are a separation of two stones,” continued Chemla. “Now she has two rings she can proudly wear every day that serve as a reminder of how strong and powerful she is.” Not everyone online agreed. “Divorce isn’t trendy or cool. This is so wack,” one critic rebuked, while another added, “[This is a] bit sad really, especially when you have a child that is affected by divorce. Nothing to celebrate in my eyes.”
But Boc, who’s enjoyed support from her 51,000 TikTok followers, hopes haters will come to understand healing can be haute.
“Divorce is so traumatic,” she said. “But leaving a relationship that no longer serves you can be powerful — and that should be celebrated with something as special as a new ring . . . My divorce ring will be a symbol of something I survived.”