An influencer’s engagement announcement has gone viral for all the wrong reasons after her happy post was flooded with nasty comments, exposing a “disappointing” truth.
Melissa Winkler, a fashion and lifestyle creator from Germany with just 3500 followers, recently amassed 20 million views on a photograph of her diamond engagement ring.
But while she declared “forever sounds like paradise” with her new fiancé, thousands flooded the comments section to criticize the modest size of the stone, claiming its “tiny” measurement should have resulted in her saying “no.”
“I wouldn’t have said yes,” snarked one.
“With that ring?” teased another.
While one rudely remarked, “Could he not afford a proper ring … looks like a children’s cheap ring.”
Talitha Cummins, founder of The Cut Jewellery, said expectations around rings have shifted in recent years as celebrities and social media put pressure on couples to get engaged with a large, oversized diamond.
“The bigger ring trend often comes down to two things. The first is celebrities who typically choose engagement rings of larger carat weight. We’ve seen that recently with Taylor Swift’s choice of an approximate 8-carat old mine cut diamond, and also Hailey Bieber,” she told news.com.au.
“Secondly, lab-grown diamonds have created more accessibility to larger stones, and it’s more common to see an engagement ring between 3 and 4 carats when previously this would have been reserved for only a very small clientele.
“This has shifted the goalposts in terms of our expectations of what an engagement ring should be.”
But while there were hundreds of negative comments to Ms Winkler’s sparkler, there were just as many who defended the ring and its apparent lack of size.
“This ring is actually refreshing to see. I’m tired of rings looking like they popped out of a gumball machine,” wrote one.
“I personally LOVE dainty jewellery and love your ring!!” said another.
As one shared: “Oh I long for the days when a proposal was a celebration of love and not a statement of wealth. Your ring is gorgeous.”
Others argued the backlash to Ms Winkler’s ring was a reflection of the fact we are “living in such a materialistic world”, adding: “It’s really sad.”
Cummings, who is opening a store in Sydney later this month, said it’s the “thought, meaning and sentiment that counts” when it comes to proposing – not the size.
“I have always thought that it’s disappointing that people would judge someone’s ring when that’s not what the milestone is about at all,” she said.
“The narrative around ring judgement needs to change. Some people prefer daintier jewellery, and sometimes, they have other goals in mind, such as buying a house or having kids, so why should they feel they need to break the bank on a ring, when it should be more about the moment?
“We don’t know people’s financial circumstances or personal preferences and it’s quite sad that people are judging her on the size of her diamond.”
Winkler has since reacted to the mean commentary surrounding her sparkler, stating she had no idea it would become such a hot topic of conversation.
“Didn’t expect to go viral over my engagement. All I know is I’m happy, I’m grateful & I said YES!!” she wrote alongside a video showing off the ring.
Many declared her future husband had “hit the jackpot,” though there were some who still wondered whether the whole thing was a stunt.
“This has to be a joke, right?” asked one.
“Girl!!! Stop playing with us now,” remarked another, while one pressed: “Is this rage bait? I’m very confused.”
With the rise in popularity of lab-grown diamonds, it’s likely we won’t see the trend of bigger rocks die down.
Data estimates that lab-grown jewels make up about 35 to 40 per cent of diamond sales in Australia.
Depending on their quality, the cost of a lab-grown diamond is around 40 to 50 per cent less than an earth-mined diamond, Forbes reported in 2019.
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