Meet the Green Goddess Gang! From Carrie Symonds to Angelina Jolie, emerald engagement rings have become the go-to sparkler for brides-to-be, but history suggests receiving one may set you on a rocky marital road...

• e-mail

Hand held up oh-so-casually as she swept her hair behind her ear, Carrie Symonds's ring was on display for all to see as she made her first appearance since announcing her engagement to the Prime Minister.

And who could have missed it? A large emerald surrounded by petal-shaped diamonds, it is believed to be an antique worth £30,000.

Yet emeralds aren't all they seem. Jewellers warn that they're more prone to scratches and fractures as they are softer than other gems. The stones are also thought to be unlucky by many, and are mired in myth and superstition.

In ancient cultures, emeralds — which symbolise wit, power and wealth — were thought to have strange powers. Cleopatra believed they would ward off serpents, but died from a poisonous snake bite.

From Wallis Simpson to Angelina Jolie, SARAH RAINEY looks at the emerald wearers whose gorgeous rings heralded a not-so-happily ever after . . .

Hand held up oh-so-casually as she swept her hair behind her ear, Carrie Symonds's ring was on display for all to see as she made her first appearance since announcing her engagement to the Prime Minister

SHOWY RING WAS TOO MUCH FOR JACKIE O 

Jackie Bouvier looked at 'dozens' of engagement rings after Senator John F. Kennedy proposed in 1953, eventually choosing one featuring a 2.84-carat emerald and a 2.88-carat diamond, from New York jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels.

Jackie rarely wore the ring or, when she did, covered it up with a glove, suggesting she thought it too flamboyant. 

In 1961, she had it redesigned, commissioning a wreath of marquise-cut diamonds around the two central stones.

Afterwards, she wore the ring more regularly, including during an outing with her husband on November 22, 1963 . . . when he was shot dead as she sat beside him in the presidential motorcade through Dallas, Texas.

Jackie Bouvier looked at 'dozens' of engagement rings after Senator John F. Kennedy proposed in 1953, eventually choosing one featuring a 2.84-carat emerald and a 2.88-carat diamond, from New York jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels

Jackie rarely wore the ring or, when she did, covered it up with a glove, suggesting she thought it too flamboyant

DOOMED LOVE OF CHILD STAR

During a tempestuous relationship, Russian billionaire Egor Tarabasov gave Parent Trap actress Lindsay Lohan a £225,000 cushion-cut emerald engagement ring.

The pair — who had dated for nine months — separated in August 2016 after disturbing photographs showed the Russian playboy apparently assaulting Lindsay, now 33, on a Greek beach. 

She continued to wear the ring for several months afterwards, with friends describing it as her 'severance package'.

During a tempestuous relationship, Russian billionaire Egor Tarabasov gave Parent Trap actress Lindsay Lohan a £225,000 cushion-cut emerald engagement ring

The pair — who had dated for nine months — separated in August 2016 after disturbing photographs showed the Russian playboy apparently assaulting Lindsay, now 33, on a Greek beach

CARTIER'S FINEST FOR 'THAT WOMAN'

Rebellious by reputation, it was perhaps no surprise the Duke of Windsor proposed to U.S. divorcee Wallis Simpson in October 1936 with an emerald ring.

Commissioned from French jeweller Cartier, the dazzling ring featured a 19.77-carat green stone flanked by diamonds, and was engraved with the message: 'We are ours now.' 

Their love lasted — in fact, Wallis had the ring remounted to celebrate their 20th anniversary in 1956.

Rebellious by reputation, it was perhaps no surprise the Duke of Windsor proposed to U.S. divorcee Wallis Simpson in October 1936 with an emerald ring

ENGAGEMENT ENDED AMID CHEAT GOSSIP

Russian supermodel Irina Shayk, 34, debuted her engagement ring — a rich green emerald, surrounded by white pear-cut diamonds — in 2016, shortly after announcing she was expecting a child by Hollywood star Bradley Cooper.

The pair had a daughter, Lea de Seine, in March 2017, but separated last year amid rumours — which they denied — that he was cheating on her with Lady Gaga, his co-star in A Star Is Born.

Russian supermodel Irina Shayk, 34, debuted her engagement ring — a rich green emerald, surrounded by white pear-cut diamonds — in 2016, shortly after announcing she was expecting a child by Hollywood star Bradley Cooper

BLING LASTED LONGER THAN BRANGELINA

Brad Pitt missed the mark when he proposed to emerald-lover Angelina Jolie in 2012, eschewing her favourite stone for a white diamond.

But she made up for it during their relationship, donning emerald rings for countless red carpet occasions.

A memorable outing was the 2009 Oscars, when she dazzled onlookers in a 65-carat Colombian emerald ring, worth almost £800,000. Two years later, at the Golden Globes, she donned a 27-carat emerald set in rose gold on the ring finger of her right hand.

When she and Brad separated in 2016, Angelina requested 'miscellaneous jewellery' as part of the divorce settlement, showing her attachment to the ill-fated gems.

Brad Pitt missed the mark when he proposed to emerald-lover Angelina Jolie in 2012, eschewing her favourite stone for a white diamond

FIERY PASSION THAT BURNT OUT

Elizabeth Taylor's emerald ring wasn't technically an engagement gift from lover Richard Burton but part of a suite of expensive green stones from Italian jeweller Bulgari, bought in Rome at the height of their illicit affair during the filming of Cleopatra in 1962.

The couple would sneak into the boutique via a secret entrance for covert shopping trips — both were married. 'I used to get so excited, I would jump on top of him and practically make love to him in Bulgari,' Taylor said in an interview in 2002.

But their fiery passion was not destined to last — after marrying in 1964, they divorced in 1974 and reunited briefly in 1975, only to fight so much that they separated again after less than a year.

 Elizabeth Taylor's emerald ring wasn't technically an engagement gift from lover Richard Burton but part of a suite of expensive green stones from Italian jeweller Bulgari, bought in Rome at the height of their illicit affair during the filming of Cleopatra in 1962

A ring in platinum with emerald and diamonds, part of an 8 piece collection of Bulgari jewels once owned by Elizabeth Taylor

KNOCK-OUT BLOW FOR HILARY'S BEAU

Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank, 45, proudly announced her engagement to former professional tennis player Ruben Torres in March 2016, sharing images of her sparkling emerald ring on her Twitter and Instagram accounts.

But just three months later, the ring was off — along with the engagement — as Million Dollar Baby star Hilary, appeared solo at the French Open (and quietly deleted her social media posts).

Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank, 45, proudly announced her engagement to former professional tennis player Ruben Torres in March 2016, sharing images of her sparkling emerald ring on her Twitter and Instagram accounts

BOND GIRL'S SECRET CODE

Bond actress Halle Berry's third husband, French actor Olivier Martinez, proposed to her in 2012 with a four-carat emerald, set between two diamonds on an 18-carat gold band.

He reportedly asked Parisian jeweller Robert Mazlo to produce 'the most beautiful ring ever made'.

Mazlo later explained: 'The ring is textured and contains codes and symbols which you cannot see — only the person wearing it can.'

However, the emerald, which had come from an ancient mine in Muzo, Colombia, seemed doomed from the start.

Halle, 53, lost it in 2014 while filming in Mexico and the couple, who had married and had a baby son in 2013, were 'too busy' to replace it.

The following year, they announced they were divorcing.

Bond actress Halle Berry's third husband, French actor Olivier Martinez, proposed to her in 2012 with a four-carat emerald, set between two diamonds on an 18-carat gold band

P.S. THEY WEREN'T UNLUCKY FOR US 

Not all emerald engagement rings have spelled bad luck for their wearers, however, or their marriages.

Queen Victoria, who was happily married to Prince Albert for 21 years until his death, wore an unusual emerald serpent ring, while the Queen's aunt, Princess Mary of Teck, had a square-cut emerald ring to mark her marriage to Viscount Lascelles in 1922.

Victoria Beckham has not one but 14 engagement rings, all gifted by besotted husband David during their 20-year marriage. Her seventh is a cushion-cut emerald inside a spiral of diamonds, first spotted in 2007 and twice again at the Oscars in 2009 and 2012.

Guardians Of The Galaxy actress Zoe Saldana is another emerald-lover, sporting a pear-shaped green stone on her ring finger after secretly marrying her Italian artist boyfriend Marco Perego in 2013. The couple now have three sons, including twins, together.

Victoria Beckham has not one but 14 engagement rings, all gifted by besotted husband David during their 20-year marriage. Her seventh is a cushion-cut emerald inside a spiral of diamonds, first spotted in 2007 and twice again at the Oscars in 2009 and 2012