Toi et moi engagement rings really say ‘forever’: from Napoleon and Joséphine, to John and Jackie Kennedy, and Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly, era-defining couples shared their love with twinned gems

Feb 19 , 2024

Chaumet’s Joséphine Duo Éternel ring is a tribute to the original toi et moi ring, given to the empress by Napoleon – beginning a tradition that continues to the rich and famous of today. Photo: Handout

Romantic toi et moi rings feature two complementary gemstones set side-by-side – and Kylie Jenner, Ariana Grande and Suki Waterhouse are among today’s stars reviving the classic style

Fox and Kelly’s design is by British jeweller Stephen Webster, Chaumet has a Joséphine Duo Éternel ring while independent labels, like Katkim and Anita Ko, offer contemporary twists

As modern brides increasingly favour alternative styles of engagement rings over traditional solitaires, the toi et moi has taken centre stage.

For those unfamiliar, the toi et moi – “you and me” in French – refers to an unusual style of ring set with two complementary gemstones side-by-side on a coiled or twisted band, representing the union of two lovers as one. Such designs traditionally feature twinned white diamonds, but have also been set throughout history with coloured gemstones of varying cuts and colours.

Chanel Fine Jewellery Toi et Moi ring, large version, in 18k beige gold and diamonds. Photo: Handout

Indeed, the toi et moi – a deeply symbolic and sentimental style – boasts a long and storied past. The two-stone ring first gained notoriety back in the late 18th century, when French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte presented his bride-to-be and future empress, Joséphine de Beauharnais, with a yellow gold toi et moi engagement ring featuring two pear-cut stones, a blue sapphire and a white diamond. Though the couple divorced in 1810, the famed ring remained in the extended Bonaparte family, passed down through the generations for two centuries. Then, in March 2013, it was sold at the Osenat auction house in France for just under US$1 million – almost 50 times its US$20,000 estimate.

Messika 18k Yellow Gold and White Diamond My Twin toi et moi ring. Photo: Handout

One of the most famous and frequently replicated toi et moi engagement rings is a sleek band once owned by timeless fashion icon Jacqueline Kennedy. Presented to the future first lady by then senator Kennedy in 1953, the bypass jewel was bought from the New York boutique of French jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels and was composed of a 2.84-carat emerald, nestled alongside a 2.88-carat diamond, on a band of baguette-cut emeralds and diamonds. Nearly a decade after the wedding, Jackie Kennedy upgraded the design, replacing the baguettes in the original ring with marquise-cut stones formed like a laurel wreath that held the two main stones and tapered to round brilliant-cut diamonds on the side of the band.

Katkim Palisade Trillion ring. Photo: Handout

More recently, the toi et moi has been thrust again into the spotlight by major celebrities including Kylie Jenner, Ariana Grande, Suki Waterhouse and – most famously – Megan Fox, who wears a split double-band design by the British jeweller Stephen Webster, commissioned by her husband Machine Gun Kelly and featuring an emerald, Fox’s birthstone, and a diamond, Machine Gun Kelly’s birthstone, set on interlocking thorn bands – a symbol that love is pain.

Chaumet Joséphine Duo Éternel ring in white gold set with a sapphire and diamonds. Photo: Handout