Zohran Mamdani made history but all I can think about are his rings.
A Friday roundup of Zohran's rings, Lauren's ring, and all your (lost) rings
If there was a jewelry theme of the week, it would be rings. Yup, just rings. On Tuesday, Zohran Mamdani clinched the Democratic nomination in New York City’s rank-choice primary, usurping the old-guard (Cuomo) and garnering massive support amongst young New Yorkers, many of whom are disgruntled with the untenable and rising cost of living in the city.
As I consumed all the coverage of Zohran’s historic and unlikely political rise from Queens assemblyman to quite possibly the next mayor of New York City on social media, mainstream media, podcast media, and various friend and family group text threads, what has actually captured my attention about this candidate are his rings.
If you are jewelry-inclined, then you’ve noticed them. A left-hand power-pinky and right-hand ring and pointer trio. It’s hard to find a picture to facilitate a deeper analysis here. For now the New York Times’s style piece from this past week gives us as good of a glimpse as we might get for the time being. I’ve reached out to Zohran’s press team with the hopes that I can chat with him about his rings, what they mean to him, and where they come from (@Zohran, if you’re reading this, let’s talk!). As you all await this heavy-hitting piece of journalism from me, let me just say I’m here for a very public shift in the mind-numbingly boring menswear landscape of politics.
Lauren Sanchez’s approximately 30-carat pink(ish?) diamond engagement ring is another ring that has loomed large in my mind from this past week, if only because I simply cannot unsee it. It’s impossible to miss amidst the coverage of her Venice wedding to Jeff Bezos.
I’m normally not someone to yuck someone else’s yum and so I will keep my analysis of her ring, estimated somewhere around five million dollars in value, focused simply on proportion. I am not convinced the ring’s diminutive pave halos and thin band will support the weight of such an obscenely massive rock. Some might say there’s an inequality in the balance of the ring that borrows from real life. When so many tiny stones must bear the weight of a gargantuan one with only a thin band to distribute the pressure, things are bound to break. Just sayin.
Finally, I want to share three stories I received from you all this past week around lost (and in some cases found!) jewels. These stories—and rings—are truly the most remarkable ones of the week.
This one made me cry:
This one made me laugh:
And this one I view as a challenge:
If you see a beautiful vintage tank ring somewhere in upper Manhattan that looks like an abstract piano, let me know!
“Some might say there’s an inequality in the balance of the ring that borrows from real life. When so many tiny stones must bear the weight of a gargantuan one with only a thin band to distribute the pressure, things are bound to break. Just sayin.”
Love this :)