The story behind Avril Lavigne’s heart-shaped engagement ring

The 'Sk8er Boi' singer got engaged to Mod Sun in Paris at the end of March

A closer look at Avril Lavigne's heart-shaped white engagement ring, given to her by Mod Sun. Photo: Instagram / Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne has announced her engagement to Mod Sun. Taking to Instagram, the singer revealed that fellow musician Sun, whose real name is Derek Ryan Smith, popped the question in Paris on March 27.

The pair, who met while collaborating on a song, have been dating since February 2021, and Sun proposed during a recent trip to the Eiffel Tower. Lavigne posted on her Instagram account a black-and-white picture of the couple, with the words, “Oui! Je t’aime pour toujours,” which translates as ‘’Yes! I love you forever.”

Sporting neon orange nails, Lavigne showed off her unusual heart shaped engagement ring. Created especially for the occasion by the jewellers XIV Karats in Los Angeles, Lavigne explained in an interview with People why the ring is so personal.

"He knew from the very beginning I wanted a heart-shaped diamond because on the day we met, we had matching heart-shaped paved rings on. We've worn them every day since, so it's only fitting to have a heart-shaped engagement ring," she said.

The inside of the band is engraved with the pair's names and the phrase, “Hi icon,” Sun’s first words to Lavigne.

While Lavigne’s ring is estimated at approximately four carats, a heart-shaped white diamond is a relatively unusual choice for an engagement ring. Traditionally, couples tend to favour square, cushion, rectangular or marquise-cut stones.

Notable exceptions however include Lady Gaga, who received a six-carat heart-shaped white diamond engagement ring from Taylor Kinney in 2015, while rapper Meek Mill proposed to singer Nicki Minaj with a 15-carat yellow diamond heart, surrounded by a double halo of white diamonds.

Gwen Stefani, meanwhile, wore a pale pink diamond heart-shaped ring, with a micro-pave diamond halo during her marriage to Gavin Rossdale.

Heart-shaped rings have been used since the 16th century to symbolise a shared love and lifelong connection. Reserved not only for romantic relationships, heart-shaped rings were often given as tokens of platonic affection. In 1562, Mary, Queen of Scots, is thought to have presented such a ring to her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, while Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III often wore a heart-shaped brooch, made of brown diamond.

The marker of a heart-shaped stone is the quality of the cut, because achieving precise and balanced symmetry is difficult. Owing to this technically demanding cut, fewer diamonds are cut into heart shapes. However, in terms of stones retaining their value, a classic round-cut engagement ring will hold its value more than a heart-shaped stone.

This engagement is Sun’s second, having previously been engaged to marry actress Bella Thorne, while Lavigne was previously married to Sum 41 singer Deryck Whibley and Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger.

Scroll through our gallery below to see other celebrity engagement rings: